Any Color You Like
by johnny3gud
Summary: Serena always thought that winning Ash's heart would be the hard part. As their relationship begins, she discovers just how wrong she was, and she learns that her greatest enemy is someone she never would have expected. Sequel to The Camera Eye.
1. Mad for Years

**Author's Note:** As stated in the summary, this story is a sequel to _The Camera Eye_. If you have not yet read _The Camera Eye_ and have any intention of doing so, now is the time to turn back. Massive spoilers lie ahead.

* * *

 _For Lucy, who fills my life with color.  
_

* * *

Any Color You Like

Chapter One – Mad for Years

Serena promised she wasn't going to cry.

That was what she told herself, anyway. The trouble was, she was a terrible liar. She always had been.

She buried her head on Ash's shoulder, hiding her eyes. Somehow, she was supposed to kiss him goodbye.

It was ridiculous. It was a travesty. After everything they had been through together, she was supposed to simply let him leave. But how could she? How was she supposed to release him from her grasp? How was she supposed to just let go of him and let herself be dragged away by an escalator while he walked down the jetway and boarded a plane to another continent? How could this be happening?

She lost herself in the feeling of his body against hers and the smell of his jacket. With his arms around her, he caressed her, the slow motions of his hands like the pendulum of a clock that ticked away their last few moments together.

There was a click of static, and a voice spoke over the intercom.

 _"This is a boarding call for Kanto Airlines flight 721 with service to Viridian City, departing from gate E4. We are still looking for passenger Ash Ketchum. Repeat, Ash Ketchum, your flight will be departing from gate E4 shortly."_

Serena clenched her eyes shut. She knew what would happen next.

Ash moved.

"Serena…"

Ash's hands moved from Serena's back to her shoulders. The length of his arms separated them, increasing the distance between them. It was the first step down a slippery slope that would place them thousands of miles apart.

Serena supposed that Ash trailed off because he did not know what more he could say. In the course of the last two days, he said everything. Nothing helped. All the promises in the world failed to make this any easier.

Serena tightened her lips and bit down on them, inhaling deeply through her nose. When she exhaled, she opened her eyes and looked at Ash.

There was a warm, bittersweet smile on his face. It made Serena's heart twitch. How could he smile at a time like this? She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but the words turned to mush before she could say them. She clenched her jaw shut. She shook her head again and again.

She was _not_ going to cry. She was not giving up. She kept her promises.

"Serena?"

The intonation of Ash's voice, that tiny hint of hope in the way he said her name jarred her out of her reality and pulled her into his. This was not the time for tears. This was not the time for giving up. This was not the end. This was the _beginning._

She swallowed the lump in the back of her throat.

"Ash?"

She hated the way it sounded as soon as it left her lips. There was no hope in the way she said his name. There was nothing but uncertainty and fear. She couldn't stand it. She was better than this. She was _stronger_ than this. She was going to make it _right._

"Ash."

She said his name again. It was more forceful this time. Ash's eyebrow raised.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Ash."

She said his name again. Once more, the determination in her voice grew. She placed her hands atop his shoulders and looked him in the eye.

"What?" said Ash.

"Ash!"

"What is it?"

Ash looked so confused. Serena knew he didn't understand. There was so much to say, and so little time.

"Ash," she whispered.

Ash's eyes searched her face.

"What's going on?" he whispered back.

Serena lost herself in his eyes. She could not make sense of them. This was supposed to be hard, wasn't it? Why, then, did it not look nearly as difficult for him as it was for her?

She knew better than to dwell on the thought. She took a deep breath through her nose, steadying herself. As she let it out, a trace of a smile crept onto her face.

"I can do this," said Serena.

Ash's smile became even more certain. He nodded.

"Yeah, you can," he said.

His hands slipped from her arms and came to rest at his sides. Serena watched the motion, knowing what she had to do next.

She pulled her hands away from his shoulders, breaking contact. She folded them behind her back.

She felt cold. Exposed. Alone.

There was silence for a moment. Ash scratched the back of his neck.

"So, I guess this is goodbye for now, huh?" he said.

Serena did not reply. She did not even nod.

"I'll see you again soon," said Ash. "I promise."

Ash had a million promises. Serena had a million questions. When she spoke, she did not ask a single one of them. She knew Ash had no answers.

"I'll miss you," she said.

For the first time, Ash faltered. The confidence in his face flickered like the light from a candle. It was there one moment, gone the next, and then back again like nothing ever happened.

Serena knew him. She knew it meant he felt the same way.

The hesitance in Ash's eyes vanished, replaced by the glint of an idea. He slipped one arm out from beneath the straps of his backpack, then dug into it. From his bag, he removed a familiar, neatly-folded piece of white cloth.

Serena's heart froze. The lump in her throat returned. Ash was going to make her a liar.

Ash held the handkerchief out for her to take. Wordless, she extended both hands and took it from him. She pressed the fabric between her fingertips. It had been so long since the day she returned it to him, yet the seams felt so familiar, memories of years long gone returning as though it had only been yesterday.

Ash looked off to the side. He rubbed a finger underneath his nose.

"I thought that maybe it could help you feel better again, like the first time," he said.

When he looked at her again, it was with the goofiest grin, one that made it impossible for Serena not to smile, if only for a moment.

The voice came over the intercom again.

 _"This is the final boarding call for Kanto Airlines flight 721 to Viridian City. Repeat, this is the final boarding call for flight 721 to Viridian City. Passenger Ash Ketchum, this is your final call to board."_

Serena looked past Ash. A short distance ahead, Pikachu stood in the entrance to an empty jetway, calling to Ash. Next to Pikachu, an attendant stood at a ticket kiosk. The attendant hung up the microphone and sent Serena an annoyed glance.

Serena's world suddenly seemed so much larger. She and Ash were far from alone. There were hundreds of people all around, sitting on benches and waiting to board their flights. The sounds of their conversations were deafening in comparison to her words. None of them seemed to have a care in the world, oblivious to what was happening in her heart, right there in plain sight.

Ash looked toward the gate. Pikachu waved at him. He looked back to Serena, then began to take a step. Before turned away, he spoke.

"I'll miss you, too," he said.

For a fraction of a second, it looked like he was going to escape, but Serena did not allow it. In an instant, she closed the distance between them, wrapped him up in a crushing embrace, and kissed him as if her life depended on it.

For one more moment, she believed. She believed in hope. In determination. In love. In life. In Ash. In herself.

And then, she pulled away for air. She knew he was going to slip away. She opened her eyes, and she saw Ash backing away from her, ready to turn toward the gate. His fingertips traced down her arm, and she closed her hand around his wrist.

She was not letting go. She was not giving up.

Ash slipped his hand through her grip and instead locked their fingers together. For a moment, the two of them stood there, hands joined, alone and silent in the sea of people.

A little bit longer was all Serena wanted. One more moment. And then another, and another, and another, forever.

Ash gave her hand a squeeze.

Before she could squeeze him back, he escaped her grasp. He took a couple of backward steps, his eyes lingering on her.

"See you soon!"

Ash broke into a full sprint toward the gate, waving his boarding pass wildly. He shoved it into the attendant's hands, ran up the jetway with Pikachu, and turned a corner. Serena stood there rooted to the spot as he disappeared from her life once again.

The attendant closed the jetway door.

He was gone.

Serena stared at the door. She felt her heartbeat, hammering inside her chest. The world had gone silent again, like everything around her had stopped. It felt like the end, no matter how much she tried to tell herself it was not, that it was only the beginning, and that the separation was only temporary.

She looked out the window next to the gate. The plane sat on the tarmac outside. For a moment, she wondered if Ash had been too late, if perhaps he was stuck at the end of the jetway, begging to be let on the plane. She hated to admit it, but she hoped he was. She hoped to see him come back out of that door any second now, grinning like a fool.

Her hopes were dashed when the plane began to back away. She waited a few seconds longer. The door never opened.

She tore her eyes away from it all. She was not going to watch. She couldn't do it. She was not going to watch that plane take Ash away from her. So, she turned away.

Her legs moved independently of her thoughts. Without thinking, she stepped onto the escalator past the gate, and it carried her to the level below. Without looking, she stepped off of it.

She couldn't see. She was much too busy staring at the handkerchief.

Only when she heard a disgruntled voice behind her did she look up and realize she was blocking the exit. She stepped aside, and she ran a clammy hand over her forehead.

And then, she saw Clemont and Bonnie. They sat by themselves on a bench. Clemont was hunched forward with his elbows on his knees and chin in his hands, lost in thought. Bonnie stared at the floor, listlessly swinging her dangling legs.

Both of them looked up when Serena approached them.

Clemont opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. A terrible silence stretched on and on. Serena broke it with a sniffle. She plopped down onto the bench with them and covered her face with the handkerchief. All she wanted to do was to smell it, to feel it with her face, to get some tiny slice of comfort from it.

But instead, she used it to hide her eyes, determined to keep her promise for a little while longer. She was not giving up.

"Serena?" said Bonnie.

Serena shook her head.

"He's gone," she whispered.

Her heart throbbed. Her words cemented it. Now, it was real.

Ash, her boyfriend, was gone.

* * *

Serena examined her face in the bathroom mirror. She wasn't sure what she expected to see. There were no traces of tears, nor anything else amiss. She had not broken her promise to herself, yet she felt like a liar anyway. Her eyes lied. They looked normal, but she felt as empty and as lost as she could ever remember feeling. An hour of soul-searching while sitting on top of the toilet lid and staring at the tiles on the shower wall had accomplished nothing, other than making her stiff. She was still alone.

She didn't have much of anything with her, either. She had the clothes she was wearing, three Poké Balls, a postcard, a letter, and a handkerchief. The loose white sundress and flats she wore had once been Korrina's. The postcard was a souvenir from Monego City, purchased with Ash on their final day there. The letter was from Aria, left for her on the waterfront bench they had shared so many times. The three Poké Balls held Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon.

The handkerchief sat on the vanity next to the faucet, neatly folded. It was still dry. She had done her best to fold it up in the same way Ash had kept it folded in his bag, the creases on it persistent from remaining that way for months and months, giving her a helpful guide. It was the same way it was folded when she gave it back to him.

She wasn't sure what was more touching - that he thought to give it to her again, or that he had taken such good care of it. She knew he had taken it out of his bag to look at it several times over the course of their travels. She had stolen glances of him doing it out of the corner of her eye, usually excusing herself afterward because she blushed like mad. Evidently, Ash had made sure to fold it up the exact same way every time.

Serena sighed, then looked into the mirror again.

This was the beginning. She kept telling herself that, anyway. She hoped it was not another rotten lie. There was a long road ahead of her, and there was nothing left for her to do in here. Leaving her few belongings on the vanity, she switched off the light and stepped out the door.

Though she had been there before, she was not quite familiar with the layout of Clemont and Bonnie's home. She poked her head into a few rooms before she found her bearings.

She stepped into the kitchen. Bonnie sat at the kitchen table, staring out the window. She held a glass of lemonade between both hands, and a pitcher of it sat in the middle of the table. A buttery scent wafted all around as Clemont peered into the oven, inspecting a tray of croissants.

Bonnie noticed Serena first.

"There you are!" she said. "I was worried, but Clemont told me to leave you alone."

Bonnie stuck out her lower lip and lowered her head. Serena's heart melted.

"Aw, Bonnie…"

Serena went to Bonnie's seat and wrapped her up in a hug.

"I'm okay, really," said Serena. She turned her attention to Clemont. "It smells good in here."

Clemont closed the oven and waved off her comment.

"I'm afraid I can't accept any compliments for these," he said. "It wouldn't be fair. These are instant croissants. Dad had some sitting unattended in the refrigerator, so I decided to put them to good use."

Clemont held up an empty cardboard tube which had been popped open and had the label torn off. Serena shrugged.

"That still sounds good to me," she said.

"I figured you might be interested in something to eat after all that," said Clemont. "The kettle has been boiled, if you would care for some tea."

Serena found a suitable cup and a saucer inside one of the cabinets and filled the cup with steaming water from the kettle. She dropped a tea bag into it and took her cup over to the table. She sat down next to Bonnie.

Serena joined Bonnie in staring out the window. It was a mundane summer afternoon in Lumiose City. The hot, heavy air weighed down everyone and everything. People passed by on the sidewalk every now and then, sweltering in the heat. Serena considered herself lucky to be indoors.

For a while, it was unusually quiet. Bonnie was the one to break the silence.

"I wish Ash was here…" she said.

Serena glanced at Bonnie, then looked into the steam rising from her cup. She had yet to touch the tea.

"Me too," she said.

"I think it's safe to say that we all wish that," said Clemont. "Ash always knew just what to say to lighten the mood. That's one skill that I'm afraid I haven't acquired yet."

Serena looked at Clemont. He was leaning against the countertop, with one hand in his pocket and the other on his chin. He seemed to catch notice of Serena, and their eyes met. He looked away from her and scrambled for more words to stave off the awkward silence.

"But we still have plenty of things to be cheerful about!" said Clemont. "I, for one, am looking forward to making some much-needed improvements to my design for Clembot. I never could do it while we were away. That, and I have an idea for a Pokédex enhancement that I need to share with Professor Sycamore. It will be good to get a chance to meet with him under some more peaceful circumstances."

Serena knew it was a façade. As distraught as she was, she knew Clemont had it just as bad. He had said goodbye to both his best friend and his _girl_ friend in the past two days. Korrina had not returned to Lumiose City with them. Instead, she returned to Shalour City, back to her gym, her duties, and the real world.

With that in mind, Serena was certain that the improvements Clemont wanted to make to Clembot were actually meant for testing the Korrinabot he began crafting in Monego City.

"I guess Dedenne and I get to sit around and cheer for you in your gym battles," said Bonnie. "How exciting." She finished her statement with a sigh, placing both elbows on the table and resting her head in her hands.

"I say that's an improvement over you constantly trying to find me a wife," said Clemont. "You'll just have to find some other way to occupy your time, because for now, I'm quite taken."

A hint of a smile formed on Serena's face. It remained to be seen what Bonnie would do with her life now that Clemont was in a relationship.

But something about Clemont saying _for now_ stuck in the back of her head like an itch.

Bonnie crossed her arms.

"You could have picked someone who lives closer to here, you know!" she said.

"Nonsense!" said Clemont. "I didn't _pick_ Korrina! Circumstances simply happened to allow it! And furthermore, I happen to be working on an invention that will make it so that the distance doesn't matter at all!"

Bonnie raised an eyebrow.

"So you finally get a girlfriend and the first thing you wanna do is try to blow her up?" she said.

"Bonnie!"

While Clemont fumed, Serena hid her mouth behind her hand and tried to suppress a giggle.

"I'm just saying, it sounds like a bad idea," said Bonnie. "But if you really do make some amazing invention and it works, let Serena use it, too!"

Serena knew better, but she couldn't help but chime in.

"Only if it's safe!" she said. "It would be awful if either Ash or I blew up after how long it took for us to get together."

Clemont's shoulders slumped, and he looked at the floor.

"This invention isn't an explosion hazard, and you both know it," he said.

Serena sent Clemont an apologetic glance while she took a sip of her tea at last.

"And unfortunately, your situation is rather different from mine," said Clemont. "I regret to say it, but I'm at a loss as to what I could do to help you."

Serena tightened her lips and focused on her tea again.

"I don't know what to do, either," she said.

"You're gonna go be with Ash, right?" said Bonnie.

Serena looked Bonnie in the eye for a moment, but then she frowned and turned her eyes away.

"I wish it was that simple," said Serena.

"Is he coming back?" said Bonnie.

"I don't know," said Serena.

"Didn't you guys talk about this?" said Bonnie.

Clemont made an ill-fated attempt to hush Bonnie. Serena knew it was futile. Plus, at the moment, Bonnie's bluntness felt more like a breath of fresh air than a slap in the face. It had been two days of endless uncertainty and vague promises to see each other again soon. Years of longing to be together, followed by days of longing to stay together.

And now they were apart.

"We kind of talked about it," said Serena. "We promised we would see each other again soon, no matter what. That was it, though. Ash didn't know what would happen when he went home, and neither did I. That was the best we could do."

Bonnie folded her arms again. She pouted, once more turning her attention to the window.

"Bonnie, it is not your business what Serena and Ash decide to do in their private lives," said Clemont. "You may not like it, but what they do is up to the two of them."

Bonnie tightened her arms.

"So you're gonna leave, too, aren't you?" she said to Serena.

Serena was taken aback by how defeated Bonnie sounded. She knew her response was only going to make things worse.

"I have to," said Serena.

"No you don't!" said Bonnie.

"Bonnie!" said Clemont.

Bonnie ignored Clemont's interjection.

"You don't _have_ to do anything!" she said.

"That is not a valid argument!" said Clemont. "I've told you a hundred times!"

Serena knew Clemont was not exaggerating. It was one of Bonnie's favorite excuses, and it drove Clemont up the wall every time. This time, though, it seemed like Bonnie had a point.

"You don't even want to go home, do you?" said Bonnie.

Serena hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.

"See!" Bonnie said, wildly gesticulating at Clemont. "I told you Serena would rather stay here and be my sister!"

Serena's face scrunched up in surprise.

"Your _sister?"_ said Serena.

"Bonnie…" Clemont grumbled. He covered his face with his hand, shaking his head.

Then, there was a hint of smoke in the air. Clemont made a stupefied sound and scrambled to remove the tray of rather crispy croissants from the oven. While Clemont wasn't looking, Bonnie stuck her tongue out at him.

"Bonnie, I really do wish I could stay, but I can't," said Serena.

"Yes you can!" said Bonnie.

Serena shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. We can't _really_ be sisters, either, but we always will be in our hearts. I promise. I have to go home, though."

"Why?"

"Because my mom is expecting me, and we have a lot of things to talk about."

It was clear that Bonnie was not satisfied. She pouted and looked away again.

Clemont removed his oven mitts and approached the table.

"To put it mildly, this is not how I would have preferred to broach the subject," he said. "However, Bonnie has a point. You really do not have to go, should you want to stay with us."

"I wish I could, but I can't impose on you all," said Serena.

"Actually, it would not be an imposition," said Clemont. "It would be an invitation."

Serena raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"Bonnie and I discussed this with our dad," said Clemont. "He agreed, rather enthusiastically, that you are welcome to stay with us for as long as you want, whenever you want."

Serena's face slackened.

"Are you serious?" she said.

"Very much so," said Clemont. "As our dad put it, you will always be welcome here. He wished to extend the same offer to Ash, as well."

Serena's mouth hung open, but no words came out for some time. Instead, she held a hand over her heart and stared at Clemont.

"I… I'm touched," said Serena. "I really am. I don't know what to say."

Bonnie leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table. She spoke in an airy tone while she looked up at the ceiling.

"How about _Oh thank you, I'd love to stay!"_

Clemont gave Bonnie a quick glance, but he did not bother to scold her. Instead, he looked back at Serena and nodded in Bonnie's direction.

There was a long pause.

"I need some time to think," said Serena.

* * *

Serena took a croissant and her cup of tea and left the kitchen. She wandered her way up the stairs, finding her way to one of the more abandoned rooms of the house. She supposed it had once been a guest bedroom, based upon the folding cot hidden in the far corner. Its present purpose was a storeroom for an endless assortment of electrical parts. Towers of boxes filled the room from floor to ceiling, all bearing the logo of Meyer's shop.

Serena smiled to herself as she waded through the mess, making her way to the window. Clemont really was his father's son.

She set her teacup down on the windowsill. She had no doubt Clemont would be right at home in this place. She shook her head at the idea. What a concept, being _at home_ at home.

She nibbled on the croissant. She was so out of place here. This was not her home. It never would be. Was it any worse than what awaited her at her actual home, though? There was no way her mother would ever understand. Her mother would never agree to let her travel to Kanto to see Ash. She probably wouldn't even allow him in the house if she knew the full story. Not after everything that had happened.

Footsteps echoed down the hall, approaching her. Serena turned to look at the open door in time to see Clemont knock his knuckles on the doorframe a few times. He met eyes with her. He smiled.

"I apologize for intruding," he said.

"You're not intruding," said Serena. She set her half-eaten croissant down on the windowsill next to her teacup. "If anyone's intruding, it's me."

"That is thoroughly and demonstrably false," said Clemont. "I have no doubt that you understand that."

Serena gave him an aside glance, then looked away, out the window.

"I do," she said.

For a while, neither of them spoke. Clemont waded his way through the mess. Clumsier than her, he knocked over several boxes along the way and had to stack them again before joining Serena by the window.

Several possible sentences ran through Serena's head before she found one she wanted to say.

"I wish I could stay."

Clemont folded his arms behind his back, continuing to gaze out the window.

"We all do," he said.

"I mean it," said Serena. "I wish I could. I wish we could all just be here together and-"

Serena shook her head. She rolled her eyes as Clemont looked in her direction.

"This sounds so dumb," said Serena, "but I wish we could all just stay here and be friends forever. _Wow_ do I feel stupid saying that…"

"Well, I wish we could do that, too," said Clemont. "I know we cannot, though. Bonnie is coming to terms with that, in her own way."

The corner of Serena's mouth turned upward. She stifled a small laugh.

"You and your dad are going to have your hands full when she gets to be our age," she said.

"The understatement of the century," said Clemont. His mouth also turned upward into a hint of a smile.

"Korrina will be great with her."

"You would be, too."

Serena's heart twitched.

"I hope I'll get to visit you all," she said.

"I hope so, too," said Clemont. "I know I've never told you this, but you've been such a positive influence on Bonnie's life."

Serena was quiet for a moment.

"Thank you," she said.

"If anything, it's you who deserves the thanks," said Clemont. "You and Ash have done so much for Bonnie, and for me."

Serena raised an eyebrow.

"Ash, sure, but what have _I_ done for you?" she said.

"You helped pull me out of my shell, so to speak. So did Ash, for that matter, but he helped in a different way. He taught me to always have the courage to pursue the things I love. You taught me not to be afraid of my emotions, and to open up to people."

Serena rolled her eyes. She barely contained a scoff.

"Oh, _please,"_ she said. "I'm like the least emotionally open person ever."

"I disagree with your assessment of yourself, and I maintain what I said."

"I kept my feelings hidden for years!"

"I would have kept mine hidden forever without you showing me that it was acceptable to have them. I have no doubt that had I continued down the course I was on before we met, Bonnie would have spent her entire life trying to find a match for me, with no success."

"I didn't have anything to do with you and Korrina."

"I think you have more to do with it than you realize," said Clemont.

"Honestly, I don't really understand how you two got together at all. It just kind of happened all of a sudden."

"That much, I agree with," said Clemont. "I struggle to understand it, too. It's odd how quickly things can change."

Serena nodded.

"I know what you mean," she said.

"This has been a rather sudden and dramatic turn of events for you and Ash, hasn't it?" said Clemont.

"Yes, it really has."

"Perhaps this is an odd question, particularly coming from me, but how are you doing?"

Serena blinked, then glanced at Clemont from aside. He was right that it was an odd question. He had never asked her such a thing before.

"I'm okay," said Serena.

"Now, I don't mean to doubt you, and I admit that my intuition could be wrong, but everything I have ever heard about emotional conversations leads me to believe that you might not be telling me the whole truth."

Serena narrowed her eyes. It was rare to see it, but bluntness ran in the family. She sighed.

"I'm not," she said.

"I suspected as much."

"I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Nor do I."

"I've been waiting for this for years," said Serena. _"Years._ Almost as far back as I can remember. Now it's finally happened, and it's nothing like what I expected."

"If I may ask, what exactly did you expect?"

"Not _this._ Not being separated again right after we finally got together."

"I understand how difficult that is," said Clemont. "I have to admit, the circumstances surrounding me and Korrina are less than ideal for a relationship."

"At least you have a plan."

"I do, although I have no idea if it will work."

"It'll work. You're a genius."

Clemont scratched his head.

"There's a well-known saying about genius and insanity, you know," he said.

"You're not crazy," said Serena. "If anything, _I'm_ the crazy one."

"You appear to be entirely sane to me," said Clemont. "Then again, genius and insanity. Perhaps I am not the best judge."

"I know you're right. That I'm not crazy, I mean. I just feel like I'm out of my mind for getting so involved in all of this. I never expected the stakes to be so high."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"Well, I never thought I'd end up in a love triangle with the Kalos Queen, for one."

Clemont hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"You make a good point," he said.

"That, and I just can't afford to lose him."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"I can't lose Ash. I just can't."

"You probably have a better understanding of the situation than I do, but I was not under the impression that you were in any danger of losing Ash. Not for anything longer than the short term, anyway."

Serena folded her arms.

"It's complicated," she said.

"I'm not certain that this is my business, but is there any reason in particular to fear that things are not going to work out between you and Ash?"

"Yes."

"I see," said Clemont. He rubbed his forehead.

Serena knew that he did not see. He had no way of knowing. As if Clemont was admitting it, he removed his glasses and inspected the lenses. He grabbed a fold of his coveralls and took to polishing the lenses in awkward silence.

"It's my mother," said Serena.

Clemont paused. He shifted his bare eyes up to look at her. They were so beady without the lenses covering them.

"Is there reason to suspect that she would oppose you and Ash being together?" he said.

"Yes."

"Has she met Ash? I struggle to imagine she would find his character lacking."

"That's not it," said Serena. "It's… complicated."

Clemont placed his glasses over his eyes again.

"Hmm," he hummed. "Well, I won't probe any further. I doubt there is anything useful I could say about the matter. I trust your judgment."

Serena frowned, watching her faint reflection in the window.

"Thanks, I think," she said.

Everything was quiet for a while. The silence between them was interrupted only by the occasional passing car in the street below.

When Clemont opened his mouth to say something, it drew Serena's attention. Clemont faltered for a moment.

"This is more difficult than I ever expected it would be," he said. "Saying goodbye, I mean. I don't know how Ash managed to get so used to doing this."

"Me neither," said Serena. "It kind of scares me, actually. I don't know how he makes it look so easy. He was smiling when he left me at the airport."

"I suppose that's typical Ash, isn't it?" said Clemont.

He smiled at Serena. She smiled back.

"Yeah, it is," she said.

"It helps that this is not _truly_ goodbye."

Serena paused.

"Maybe you already guessed it, but I was planning on spending the night here," she said.

"That was part of the reason I came up here," said Clemont. "We need to move enough of these boxes so that you have sufficient space to open that cot."

Clemont pointed with his thumb toward the folded-up cot in the faraway corner.

"The sofa is fine, really," said Serena.

"Nonsense," said Clemont. "What kind of hosts would we be if we offered to let you stay here indefinitely and then failed to provide you with any sort of appropriate bed?"

Serena looked all around at the mess covering the room.

"You would be my best friends," she said. "You would be Clemont and Bonnie. And your dad, too. You would be too kind, really."

Serena tightened her lips. She looked at the floor. Her words seemed to silence Clemont, at last leaving him at a true loss for words.

Awkward silence was the last thing she wanted, though. And so, after stealing a quick glance at him, Serena took a step toward Clemont and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you," she said.

For a moment, Clemont did not move. He was as still as a statue beneath her touch.

But then, he returned the embrace.

"You're welcome," he said.

They lingered for another few seconds, then separated. This time, it was Serena who was at a loss for words.

"It isn't truly goodbye, though," said Clemont. "Not even when you leave."

"That's what Ash would say."

"I admit, I probably heard it from him."

"He would also say we would all see each other again someday," said Serena.

"We will," said Clemont.

Serena did not respond. She weighed Clemont's words. They were the same as Ash's, yet they sounded so different.

"I'm completely serious," said Clemont. "I plan to make a point of it. Wherever you may go, we _will_ see each other again. We all will."

With a bittersweet smile on her face, Serena looked up at Clemont and met eyes with him. She held him in her gaze for a long time, longer than she could ever remember doing before.

She believed him.

But even more, she knew what she needed to do.

* * *

After a tedious effort to clear some space in the guest room, Clemont left Serena on her own. There was one more thing Serena needed to do, and she dreaded it. She was not sure how long she paced around the room. She was only sure that it was an unnecessary amount of time. It was evening by the time she worked up sufficient courage, aided in part by Clemont coming up with an excuse to take Bonnie with him to their dad's shop and leave Serena by herself for a while.

Her hands were cold as ice as she sat down at the phone kiosk and dialed the familiar number. Even though she helped herself to another cup of tea, she shivered while the dial tone pierced the silence.

The phone rang three times before her mother picked up.

"Hello?"

Serena knew the number would be unfamiliar to her mother. She would have to announce herself, as much as she did not want to. Her throat felt so inexplicably dry.

"Hi, Mom."

"Serena!"

The video feed crackled a few times and changed from static to a view of her mother's face. The familiar scene of the kitchen, unchanged in years, was visible in the background.

"There you are!" said Grace. "I was getting worried about you. Where are you? What number is this?"

Serena could barely force herself to speak. Every single word was destined to be yet another step down a slippery slope.

"I'm in Lumiose City," said Serena. "I'm at Clemont and Bonnie's house. This is their phone number."

"Oh, I see," said Grace. "Are you staying with them tonight?"

Serena knew that what she was about to say was a half-truth at best. Or at least, not quite the whole truth.

"Yes, I am."

"Well, that's nice," said Grace. "It must feel good to be back in a proper home after so long on the road. Did you have a good time in Monego City?"

Serena remained as still as stone, refusing to allow her face to give away anything. On the monitor, her mother's eyes moved about, scrutinizing her expression.

Every word she spoke was another step toward the point of no return.

"I did," said Serena. "It was really fun."

She could already feel the heat rising in her face. She was a terrible liar. She always had been.

"When do you think you'll be home?" said Grace. "Tomorrow night? The day after that?"

Serena bit the inside of her lip.

"I don't know," she said.

"You don't know?"

Grace's voice was incredulous. The intonation of her reply made Serena's stomach squirm.

"I'm not sure," said Serena.

"Why not?" said Grace. "What do you mean?"

"I-"

Serena couldn't find the right words. She stared at her lap.

She couldn't stand the way she felt. She was supposed to be stronger than this. These worries were not supposed to burden her anymore. And yet, at the slightest hint of consternation in her mother's voice, she withered.

Serena grit her teeth. There was no sense in putting it off any longer.

"I'm not coming home."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm going to Kanto."

There was a moment of silence.

"You're _what?"_ said Grace.

Serena looked up at the screen again, with a crease in her brow. She repeated herself, more forcefully this time.

"I'm going to Kanto."

"Kanto? Why? How? Did it occur to you that maybe we should discuss this?"

Grace's confused expression tightened the longer she spoke. Serena's face tightened in turn as she steeled herself for the barrage of questions.

"I'm not coming home. I'm going to Kanto, whether you like it or not."

For a moment, Grace appeared taken aback. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out until she closed it, shook her head, and tried again.

"I'm not necessarily opposed to this, but you really could have done a better job of bringing this up with me," said Grace. "This is so sudden. What caused this? What's gotten into you? Why are you so insistent about this out of nowhere?"

"It's where I want to be. My journey isn't over yet."

Grace narrowed an eye. Serena knew she was scrutinizing her phrasing.

"Your journey doesn't _have_ to be over yet," said Grace. "I just wish you had talked to me about this first. I would have been more willing to figure this out with you if you hadn't waited until right now to dump this in my lap."

"I didn't have a chance to do it until now," said Serena.

It seemed like an obvious lie. She had not been in the wilderness for the last two weeks. She had been in the richest city in the world.

But it wasn't a lie. Both of Grace's eyes narrowed.

"Did you only _just_ decide this now?" she asked.

Serena swallowed. She hurried to say her answer, even though she knew it was a trap.

"Yes."

"Serena."

Grace's head rolled back, and she covered her forehead with her palm. Serena continued to stare her down through the screen.

"Mom."

"This is quite a big decision to make so quickly," said Grace. "What happened? What made you want this all of a sudden?"

Serena had every intention of explaining, but she couldn't find the right words. It was impossible to know where to start.

And in her moment of hesitation, her mother connected the dots.

"Ash is from Kanto, isn't he?"

Serena tried to hide the crack in her composure. She was certain her mother saw it anyway, that momentary widening of her eyes.

"You met him at camp," said Grace. "I remember now."

Serena wasn't sure if she should be surprised that her mother remembered. She had mentioned Ash and Kanto only a few times in the years and years since that camp, content to keep that secret to herself, lest her mother find that particular dream and dismantle it piece by piece.

But her mother remembered.

"Serena, you can't keep chasing him."

Serena's face flushed with warmth.

"I'm not _chasing_ him anymore!" she said.

"You can't spend your whole life running after him. You can't make him love you."

"He's my _boyfriend_ now!"

Again, Grace appeared taken aback.

"Your _boyfriend?"_

Serena fumed. Did her mother not believe her?

"Yes!"

"When did this happen? While you were in Monego City?"

"Yes," said Serena, "and that's why I haven't had time to talk to you about this! We only got together for real two days ago."

Grace raised an eyebrow.

"Two days?" she said. "Two days, and you want to travel halfway across the world to be with him?"

Serena grimaced at how foolish it made her sound. It was a gross oversimplification and she knew her mother knew it.

"It's not like that!" said Serena. "I've known him for years! I've wanted to do this for years!"

Grace shook her head.

"I know you think that makes it sound better, but that makes me even less willing to allow you to do this."

"What? Why?"

"Because you think you know what you're getting yourself into, but I know you don't."

"You don't know Ash!" said Serena. "Don't tell me you know him better than I do!"

"I'm not talking about Ash," said Grace. "I'm talking about _love."_

Serena could have scoffed. She had a dozen scathing retorts lined up in her head, ready to go, but her mother spoke again.

"You need to take it slow," said Grace. "It's too easy to get in over your head before you realize what's happening. I've seen it so many times."

"You are not going to keep me away from him!" said Serena.

"Maybe not, but I'm not paying for you to go to Kanto unless you can demonstrate to me that you can keep a level head about this, and this conversation is not helping your case."

Serena knew better than to inquire about what she would have to do to prove herself. It was an impossible task.

"Even if you keep me here in Kalos, you won't come between us!" said Serena. "We made a promise to each other that we would see each other again soon. If I don't come to him, he's going to come to me! He will find me, no matter what. I know he will."

"If he's going to come back for you, why do you need to go see him, then?"

Serena made an indignant noise.

"You can't be serious!" she said.

"I am serious," said Grace. "If he promised you he was going to come back for you, why are you in such a hurry to go be with him? Do you not trust him?"

Serena felt like she had been slapped in the face.

 _"Mom!"_

"Serena, I know this is not what you want to be hearing right now, but you need to slow down and _think_ about this before you do anything. If you want to travel with him again, talk to him first. Make plans, then share them with me. You can't just throw yourself at him blindly!"

"I'm not throwing myself at him!"

"I would hope not, since you don't seem to trust him enough to believe he will come back for you!"

"It has nothing to do with trust!" said Serena. "It's because for the first time in my life, I'm getting a chance to take charge of my own life, make my own decisions, and make my dreams into reality! I will not let you stop me from doing that!"

Grace shook her head.

"I'm not going to stop you," she said. "I really can't do anything about it from here. I'm not helping you, though. I'm sure that airfare to Kanto costs a fortune. It's up to you to come up with that money on your own. If you want to make your own mistakes, you can earn them. I'll be here if you change your mind."

The mention of money made Serena freeze. Airfare was only the tip of the iceberg.

"Actually, I need more than a plane ticket," she said.

"Oh?"

Serena spoke tentatively, not looking at the screen.

"That's part of why I called, actually," she said. "I kind of lost all of my belongings in Monego City."

"You _what?"_

Serena looked up at the screen and showed her mother her open, empty hands.

"I lost everything," she said. "Even these clothes are borrowed."

"How?" said Grace. "What happened? Were you mugged?"

"I ended up taking a dive into the harbor with my bag, with all my stuff in it. It all got ruined."

Grace sputtered as she tried to find words, grasping at her head.

"You did what?"

"It was an accident," said Serena. "I fell into the harbor one night, and it took a long time to get out of the water."

It wasn't exactly an accident, but Serena didn't even dare to try to explain.

"How did you _accidentally_ fall into the ocean with all of your belongings?"

"It's a long story."

"I bet it is."

Serena had no interest in elaborating. She kept silent for a while. Her mother broke the silence.

"You lost everything?"

"All I have now are my Poké Balls," said Serena. "That's it."

Serena heard a loud, scratchy sound, and the camera shook. Her mother put her elbows down on the surface of the kiosk and wrapped her hands around the back of her head.

"Serena…"

"I'm sorry," said Serena. "I didn't mean for it to happen. I know some of that stuff was expensive."

Grace looked up and glared at her through the camera.

"You can forget any chance of getting a ticket to Kanto," said Grace. "That tablet alone was worth that much money! And all your clothes…"

Grace trailed off, covering her face with her hands. She rubbed her temples, muttering to herself.

Serena had no idea what else to say. There was no hope of her getting anything she wanted from this conversation. She sat there watching her mother attempt to recollect herself.

Grace looked up at the camera again.

"I don't know what to tell you," she said. "Come home if you want to, but otherwise, you're on your own. I can't help you."

Serena pressed her luck.

"Can you at least help me get a new bag and some new clothes?" she asked.

"Not when I know that any money I send you is going to go directly to your Kanto travel fund!"

Serena pressed again.

"I have nothing, Mom. I really need it."

"And I really need you to not make foolish mistakes with your life when I can see you heading right towards them."

"I'm not being _foolish._ I'm following my heart!"

Grace let out a breath and shook her head.

"One day you'll understand what this sounds like from my point of view," she said.

"Maybe one day you'll understand it from mine!" said Serena.

"I already do."

"No, you don't!"

"I know firsthand," said Grace.

"You don't know Ash!"

"I know exactly what it's like to be young and hopelessly in love. You don't have to make the same mistakes I did."

"It's _my_ life! I get to live it how I want!"

"And it's my place as your mother to tell you that I think you're making a mistake."

"It's my right to make mistakes if I want to!"

There was a pause.

"You're right," said Grace. "It is."

"Then why are you doing this?"

There was another pause. Serena felt something hanging in the air, like a spark waiting to ignite.

And then it did.

 _"Because I don't want you to end up like me!"_

The sound of her mother's voice echoed through the empty house. Serena instinctively recoiled, backing away a few inches. Despite years of bickering, her mother's yell was unlike anything Serena had ever heard before. The words were neither composed nor deliberately chosen. They were raw and disarming.

Bitter anger lined Grace's face. When she spoke again, her voice was eerily even and calm. It made Serena shift in her seat uncomfortably.

"Don't give yourself to someone who won't give you anything in return."

Serena glared back at her mother. She leaned in closer toward the camera.

"Ash isn't Dad," she said.

She hung up.


	2. The Root of All Evil

Chapter Two – The Root of All Evil

Serena struggled to sleep that night. She spent the rest of the evening in a numb daze, secluded in the guest bedroom. When Clemont came by with a bowl of soup and a cup of tea, she thanked him, closed the door, and set both of them on the floor. She never touched them again.

She failed to find a comfortable position on the cot. As scratchy and lumpy as it was, she wondered if she should have been more grateful for it. She wondered if she was technically homeless now. She doubted she was welcome in her own home anymore. Her mother's outburst played over and over again in her mind. She wanted to unsee it, to unhear it, to erase it from her memory. The more she tried not to think about it, the harder it was to forget.

She thought of calling Ash, but the details of his flight home were lost in her memory among a whirlwind of words and emotions that made them impossible to recall. She could not remember how long his flight was, nor how much time had passed since he departed, nor even the time difference between Lumiose City and Pallet Town. For all she knew, Ash was still in the air. If he wasn't, he was surely sound asleep in his bed at home, recovering from jet lag.

What could Ash do, anyway? He had no way of fixing this. There was no way he could conjure the money they needed out of thin air. She couldn't afford to go to him, and he couldn't afford to come back to her. He could attempt to comfort her, but comfort wasn't what Serena wanted. There would be plenty of time for comfort when she saw him again. Right now, she wanted a solution.

When morning came, Serena got out of bed as soon as the sun was up. There was no point in waiting for the rest of the world. Her search began now.

* * *

It was an odd experience, going into a café with the rest of the morning crowd, waiting in line with them, and then asking for a job application once she got to the front of the line instead of ordering food.

Serena's stomach growled while she sat at the most isolated table she could find and tried to fill out the form in relative peace. She regretted not eating anything the previous night, nor this morning. The smell of the fresh pastries made her mouth water, yet she had no way of purchasing one.

She felt eyes crawling all over her as she wrote, as if everyone else in the café knew from one look at her that she was broke and desperate. She listed Clemont's address as her own. The pay would be miserable, and so would the hours, but at least it was better than nothing. Months of work to save up enough money to see Ash was better than never seeing him again.

She repeated that to herself as she went from shop to shop all morning, inquiring about work in each and every establishment. Most places turned her away. She stressed her interest in starting right away, but it did not seem to help. By noon, she lost count of the number of businesses she visited.

What began as a mild pain in her head turned into a throbbing headache. It was another hot summer day in Lumiose City, and she had neither water nor any way to acquire it. She decided to return to Clemont's house, hoping to get a cool drink and lay down for a while there, then continue her job hunt.

Her lack of a bag began to wear on her. She held several loose papers in her hand, with no other place to put them. She had needed to borrow a pen everywhere she went. She did not have her Pokémon with her. She felt vulnerable without them. The longer she walked, the more she worried that she might not make it back to Clemont's on her own. She felt faint. She longed for her Pokémon, if only for their moral support. She doubted they would be able to carry her very far, if at all, but at least their presence would have been something.

When she made it to the front stoop and trudged up the steps, she found a note tucked in the door.

 _Serena,_

 _Bonnie and I are at the gym. We noticed you left in a hurry this morning. Hope everything is alright. If you need us, you should be able to find us at the gym all day._

 _-Clemont_

Serena knew what the outcome of what she was about to try was certain to be, but she tried it anyway. She gripped the doorknob and tried to turn it.

It wouldn't budge. She was locked out.

She turned around, sighed, and leaned her back against the door. After a few seconds, she allowed her back to slide down the door and come to a rest on the doorstep, with her knees drawn up to her chest. She rested her head against her kneecaps.

The sun was sweltering, and the stoop provided no shade. For a moment, she thought about trying to break in, but she thought better of it when it occurred to her that she had no idea what kind of crazy security system Clemont may have put in place. Being blown up sounded much worse than heat exhaustion. She saw no choice but to pick herself back up and carry on.

Prism Tower loomed in the distance. She never was a good judge of distances, but she thought that she could make it, as long as she had some shade. To her good fortune, after walking a few blocks, she came upon a long avenue flanked by trees. It seemed like a straight shot to the tower from there. Relieved, she turned down the avenue and made her way toward the heart of the city.

The farther she walked, the more upscale the area became, and the more conspicuous she felt. As in Monego City, she was underdressed compared to everyone she saw. As the minutes and the blocks passed, what started as a residential area became an arts district, and then the arts district became a luxurious shopping district. Designer clothes with exorbitant price tags decorated the window displays.

She stopped at a busy corner with several other pedestrians, waiting for traffic to pass. While she waited, she looked around at the surrounding shops. At first, it all looked like more of the same, but then, something caught her eye.

Down the adjacent street, there stood an old brick building that was dwarfed on both sides by glass-front shops. A signpost stood in front of it. A faded, wooden sign hung from the post.

Serena squinted. She was barely able to see the shape of a pair of ballet shoes on the sign.

The traffic light turned. The crowd of people around her all passed her by, but Serena stood there on the corner, shielding her eyes from the sun with one hand. She continued to squint at the sign as her feet began to carry her toward it. There were words on it. She could read them, but she did not believe what she saw. She drew closer and closer, believing her eyes had been deceived. They had not.

 _Arietta School of Dance_

Serena's heart skipped a beat. Her eyes slid out of focus while she stood beneath the sign, gaping at it. A powerful wave of déjà vu washed over her. All at once, she felt both uncomfortably warm and alarmingly cold. A shiver crept down her spine.

She was confident that she had never seen nor heard of this place before, yet somehow it was hauntingly familiar. She tried to refocus her eyes and read the sign again, double and triple checking it to ensure she was not mistaken. Each time, the sign remained the same. The name did not change. It wasn't a perfect match, but the resemblance was uncanny. The longer she stared, the more convinced of it she became.

This was Aria's old dance school. She was certain of it.

The more she thought about it, the more Serena told herself that she was paranoid, that she was imagining things. She figured the heat was getting to her. Aria had never told her the name of her dance school. The name bore a vague resemblance, that was all. The place looked abandoned. There was no evidence that Aria had ever been here.

And yet, there was something odd about the place that Serena could not explain. She wandered toward the front steps. The paint on the front door was chipped. The handrails on the steps were rusted. It felt as though she were the first person to darken this particular doorstep in years.

She climbed. At the top of the steps, she peered through one of the windows. It was dark inside. There was nothing to be seen, nothing at all. For a moment, she considered knocking on the door. But then, she heard the engine of a vehicle slowing down behind her.

Serena turned around and gasped. A limousine came to a stop at the curb, right in front of the building.

A rear window rolled down.

"Serena? Is that you?"

When Serena realized who was addressing her, she froze. The pieces of the mental puzzle she had been assembling shattered like glass. Palermo squinted at her from inside the limousine.

From Serena's position on the front steps of the building, Palermo somehow became both closer and farther away in her vision. Like a tunnel connected the two of them, everything else seemed to disappear.

Serena's heartbeat accelerated. She felt cold and stiff all over. Her stomach twisted itself in a knot.

Palermo placed a pair of sunglasses over her eyes and leaned her head out the open window. Though the dark lenses covered them, the corners of her eyes seemed to narrow. She raised a hand to her forehead and covered the gap between the sunglasses and her face, shielding her eyes even further from the sun.

"Serena?" Palermo said again. "That is you, isn't it?"

Serena had no idea how to respond. Her mind was paralyzed. So much had happened. How much did Palermo know? She wanted to run. Instead, she forced a nervous smile onto her face and raised a hand.

"It's me," she said, waving to Palermo.

She tried to take a step down the stairs toward the limousine. Her legs were so shaky that she needed to grip the rusty railing for support. She had no idea why her legs carried her forward. She felt like she was throwing herself into the jaws of the beast.

"My goodness, I barely recognized you!" said Palermo. "It looks like you're out in your bedclothes!"

It appeared as though Palermo thought she had made an amusing remark, based on the way she laughed quietly to herself. Serena found nothing funny about it. She looked down at herself and the loose white dress which hung from her shoulders. Palermo was technically right. These were her bedclothes. They were the only clothes she had.

Even with Palermo's eyes hidden behind sunglasses, Serena felt like Palermo could see right through her. She felt like she might as well have had nothing covering her at all.

Serena stepped down from the stoop and approached the limousine. She folded her hands in front of herself. A laugh escaped her lips out of sheer awkwardness.

"I kind of am, actually," said Serena.

Palermo's eyebrows raised, creeping above the rims of her sunglasses.

"Really, now?" she said, laughing again as if chatting with an old friend. "Happens to the best of us, I suppose. Bad hair day?"

Serena was having much more than a bad hair day.

"Well, yes, actually," Serena said, pulling a loose strand of her hair behind one ear.

Palermo pulled her head back inside the window and lifted the sunglasses from her eyes. Serena suppressed the will to shiver as Palermo eyed her up and down.

"Goodness, child, are you well? You look like you're absolutely withering in this heat!" said Palermo. "Here, just a moment."

Palermo leaned forward, and her head disappeared from view for a few seconds. Though it was muffled by the idling of the engine, Serena heard a noise that sounded like the rattle of ice in a cooler.

Then, Palermo reappeared, holding a dripping bottle of water. Serena's mouth opened in surprise. Palermo held the bottle out the window, offering it to her.

"Here, drink up!" said Palermo. "We can't have you fainting out here on the street!"

Caution be damned, Serena took the bottle from Palermo. It was ice cold. Eager, she twisted off the cap and held the bottle to her lips.

For a moment, she wondered if it was poisoned.

She needed it too much to care. She gulped down a mouthful of the frigid water. It was so cold that it almost hurt, yet it felt like heaven. She felt it slip down her throat and into her empty stomach. It reminded her how hungry she was.

She took another long drink. When she lowered the bottle, she let out a sound of contentment. She wiped her mouth with the back of her arm and looked at Palermo.

"Thank you!" said Serena, wiping her palm across her forehead, realizing her face was damp with sweat. "Thank you so much. I really needed that."

She was out of breath as she spoke. She took the time to breathe before she drank again.

Palermo eyed her with clear concern.

"You're quite welcome," she said, "but I must say, you have me rather worried. Did something happen to you? What caused you to end up like this?"

Serena busied herself with taking another long drink. The bottle was almost empty now. She needed to buy time to think.

Did Palermo know? Did she have any idea what happened?

A hint of a smirk crept onto the corner of Palermo's mouth.

"Don't tell me that dashing young man of yours left you already," she said.

With the bottle still held to her mouth, Serena froze.

Palermo's smirk turned into a coy smile.

"I've seen the papers, dear," she said. "Quite a photo of the two of you, I must say. Truly, a brilliant publicity stunt for someone your age. I'm impressed. That's exactly what I like to see in a potential protégé."

Serena lowered the bottle. Only one word escaped her lips.

"Oh?" she said, nerves constricting her voice.

"I take it you haven't forgotten about my offer, have you?" said Palermo.

Serena bit down on her lips. She tried to dodge Palermo's piercing eyes. It was no use.

"I wanted to talk to you about that, actually," said Serena.

"Did you?" said Palermo. "Well, what splendid timing, then! Say now, dearie, were you on your way somewhere? Perhaps we can discuss it along the way."

It took Serena a few seconds to realize what Palermo meant.

"You mean in _there?"_

Serena pointed at the limousine. Palermo nodded.

"Of course, my dear!" said Palermo. "What kind of host would I be if I didn't offer you a ride in this dreadful heat? Where are you heading?"

Serena looked around a couple of times as if she had the feeling of being watched. This felt both dangerous and too good to be true.

"Prism Tower," she said.

"Ah, wonderful," said Palermo. "That will be no trouble at all. I was going to be heading right past there."

Palermo leaned forward again. She appeared to speak into something.

"Prepare the doors, please. We have a guest."

A moment later, an impeccably-dressed man stepped out from the driver's seat of the limousine. He greeted Serena with a curt bow.

"Right this way, madame, if you please," he said.

He chauffeured Serena around to the other side of the car, where he then opened the door for her. Serena felt rather foolish as she placed one foot inside and peered into the darkness.

"Thank you," she said as she slipped inside.

"My pleasure, madame."

The door shut behind her, and Serena found herself sitting in the back seat next to Palermo. As her eyes adjusted, Palermo pressed a button, and her window rolled up. She pressed another button, then spoke into an intercom.

"Prism Tower, please."

The driver's voice came over the intercom.

"Yes, madame."

It was cool inside. Serena had never seen anything like it except on TV. The inside of the limousine was cavernous. A long bench seat stretched all the way to the driver's cabin. The opposite side was occupied by a bar, with wine glasses and champagne flutes hanging from a rack on the ceiling.

It was silent as Serena looked around. The limousine began to move, and again Serena heard Palermo digging through ice. She looked and saw Palermo reaching into a cooler built into the bar. From it, Palermo retrieved another ice-cold bottle of water.

"Have another, dear," she said, making a pointed glance at the almost empty bottle in Serena's hand and then offering the new bottle to her.

Serena drained what was left of the first bottle and then opened the second one. She took a small sip from it.

"Did the heat catch you by surprise?" said Palermo.

Serena nodded. Trying her best to hide her cautiousness, she spoke.

"Yes," she said. "I really can't thank you enough for this. I'm not sure how much longer I would have lasted out there."

"Of course," said Palermo. "Do be careful, though. I would hate to see you cut your career short after such a promising start."

Serena glanced out the window. They were tinted from one direction. From the outside, it was impossible to see the inside, but from the inside, it was like looking at the outside through sunglasses. As her eyes lingered on all the unaware people on the street, she felt Palermo's eyes linger on her. She was stiff all over, like she could not allow herself to relax in her seat no matter how delightfully cool the upholstery felt against her skin.

"I take it you just arrived in Lumiose?" said Palermo. "You were evidently in Monego a couple of days ago. It was much cooler there, I assume."

Serena hesitated to answer, but she forced herself not to hesitate for too long. She neither wanted to incriminate herself through her words nor her lack of them.

"I got here yesterday morning," she said. "Ash flew home to Kanto yesterday afternoon. I'm staying here with my friends Clemont and Bonnie."

Palermo nodded as Serena spoke. Serena tried to speak as informally as possible, as if there were nothing unusual about this, as though she and Palermo were old friends catching up.

Serena took it a step further and laughed casually as she spoke again.

"I accidentally locked myself out of their house this morning, actually," she said. "That's why I'm out here. I was on my way to meet them at Prism Tower."

"It looked like you found something that caught your eye on the way," said Palermo.

"Hmm?"

"Arietta School of Dance?" Palermo said, giving Serena a knowing glance.

It occurred to Serena that she had already forgotten what she was doing less than five minutes ago.

"Oh! Well-"

"There's no need to explain to me," said Palermo. "I understand."

Serena had no idea how Palermo could understand, because she herself did not.

"You do?" said Serena.

"Certainly," said Palermo. "There's a particular appeal in following the footsteps of the greats who came before you, is there not? It's only natural you would want to see where Aria got her start."

Serena refused to allow her face to betray anything, but her heart went as cold as ice.

Did Palermo _know?_

Palermo looked wistfully out the window.

"The place has been closed for years, but still, it has a certain humble charm to it, don't you think?"

Serena had no time to respond before Palermo continued.

"I can certainly see the appeal it would have to you," said Palermo. "Those in the business who I've discussed your performance with all agree that you possess such a simple, honest charm. I think it's what they call that _girl next door_ aesthetic. The people who like your performance style feel like they can really _connect_ with you. To be able to combine that with such elegance and grace is a rare gift, I assure you. All the more reason I would love to work with you."

Serena opened her mouth to respond. After a few seconds, she managed to form words.

"Thank you. I-"

She wanted to cringe at the idea of her personality being made into some kind of marketing strategy. Her performance style wasn't a façade. Her victory kiss with Ash, no matter how public it was, was not a publicity stunt.

"I don't know what to say," said Serena.

Who had Palermo talked to? Was it Aria? Of course Aria would have thought she was the charming girl next door. The thought of Aria speaking about her to Palermo in such terms, after all she had learned, made her shiver.

"Careful not to overdo it on the ice water," said Palermo. "If you're cold, the controls for the air are on the panel next to you."

Serena noticed for the first time that all the same buttons that were on Palermo's side were on hers, too. There were too many for her to even attempt to comprehend what she saw. She made no attempt to adjust anything. The cool air felt nice, anyway.

It became increasingly obvious to her that she had no business being here. She was in a stretch limo with one of the wealthiest people in the world. She had nothing to her name but a fistful of applications for menial jobs and a loose sundress that was almost certainly both stained with sweat and smelled like it. She had stumbled into a world that was everything she didn't have, and she had no way of attaining it.

"Would you care for a tea biscuit?" said Palermo. "It may calm your nerves."

Palermo's comment had the opposite effect of calming Serena's nerves. Her heart palpitated. Was it that obvious how nervous she was? What did Palermo know?

Palermo reached into a tin on a shelf in the bar and pulled out a small, buttery-looking confection. She handed it to Serena. Serena took it with a nod of thanks, and she bit a corner off of it. She turned her head and tried to hide her embarrassment as crumbs rolled down the front of her dress.

Palermo smiled at her with an expression that approximated empathy. It made Serena feel even less at ease.

"You're far from the first person to be nervous when discussing a potential apprenticeship with me," said Palermo. "I understand entirely. There's no need to be nervous. I know you are more than capable of handling yourself in the spotlight."

Perhaps Palermo had no idea. Perhaps she did think this was all business. Maybe Aria had kept everything a secret from her.

Regardless, Serena had already made up her mind. She spoke again despite her voice doing its best to hide from her.

"I'm not so sure that the spotlight is what I want," said Serena.

Palermo gave her a measured glance.

"I suspected as much. Usually, I get a call back in a matter of a few days, although I understand there were some extenuating circumstances in your case, saving the city and whatnot."

Palermo accented her statement by gesturing toward the outdoors, the streets of Lumiose City all around them.

"I must express my disappointment, though," she continued. "Whether or not you understand it, you possess extraordinary talent and potential. It would be a tragedy to see your ability go to waste. If you were willing to do it, I have no doubt that your wildest dreams would come true, and then some. You would be a star, I assure you."

Serena weighed Palermo's words. It was more and more obvious that Palermo knew nothing about her. Palermo's words sounded rehearsed, as if this were far from the first time she said the exact same thing to an unsuspecting upstart performer.

In some sense, Aria's crazy plan had succeeded. Serena knew better than to be seduced.

"Fame really isn't what I want," said Serena. "I don't think that kind of life is for me."

Palermo nodded. She turned her eyes aside.

"To be quite honest with you, the money does a remarkable job of compensating for that," she said.

Serena's eyebrows raised. Palermo laughed.

"I'm sure you've noticed these tinted windows, haven't you?" said Palermo. "Why do you think I have them? Why, I can't go anywhere without being bothered by someone, but that hardly matters at all if no one can see you! No matter what anyone tries to tell you, money _can_ solve many problems, my dear."

Serena gripped the seat and tried to keep herself from shivering again. She shoved the entire remaining biscuit in her mouth and busied herself with chewing it. She couldn't dispel the idea that it tasted like money.

No matter how much she hated it, she knew there was a grain of truth in Palermo's words. Money could indeed solve some problems. It was the solution to several of her current problems.

She chased the biscuit with another sip of water. Palermo appeared to be waiting for her. Serena met eyes with her for a moment, then looked away.

It didn't matter how much she wanted to see Ash. There was no way she would agree to sell her soul to Palermo.

Serena shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but no," she said.

Palermo's disappointment was obvious in her restrained, bittersweet smile.

"Well, I think you're making a mistake," she said, "but if that is what you wish, then I suppose it can't be helped. It's a pity, though. I have no doubt I would have enjoyed working with you."

Serena said nothing. Everything went quiet for a while. While she stared at her lap, Palermo stared out the window. They waited at a stoplight.

Serena felt filthy even thinking it, but there was something alluring about the idea of agreeing to work with Palermo for some sort of advance money and then using that money to leave immediately, never to return. She knew it would never work. It was far too risky. Palermo would see right through it. The thought lingered in her head nonetheless.

"It's a pity that money can't make these stoplights change faster," Palermo said, giving Serena a sly glance. "Alas, it can't solve _every_ problem."

It went quiet again. Serena had a distinct feeling that Palermo was much less interested in talking now that she knew she would get nothing from her. A waste of her time. That was all she was.

It came as a surprise when Palermo spoke again.

"Just between you and me, I really was hoping you would agree to work with me," said Palermo. "Foolish as it may seem, I had hopes of you becoming my final protégé. As much as I love the showcase world, retirement is becoming more and more appealing all the time."

The limousine began to move again.

"If you want to retire, why do you want to work with me?" said Serena.

"Oh, as a passion project, mostly," said Palermo. "I do this because I love it. As wonderful as our time together has been, Aria has reached the point where she no longer has much need for me. It would be delightful to be able to work more closely with someone one last time."

Serena kept her lips sealed. She knew _exactly_ how much Aria did not need Palermo, and how much Palermo needed Aria.

"Aria has been scarce in recent weeks, truthfully," said Palermo. "The Master Class seemed to take quite a bit out of her. I'm concerned it may have been her last title defense. I'm not certain she wishes to hold the crown any longer. All the more reason for now to be your time in the limelight, actually."

Serena resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Palermo was still trying to sell her on the idea.

"You didn't happen to see Aria at that battle in Monego, did you?" said Palermo. "She told me she was going to be there, but she seems to have dropped off the face of the earth since then."

Serena did not hesitate. She told the truth.

"No, I didn't see her there," she said. "Sorry."

"Ah, that's quite alright," said Palermo. "Wishful thinking, that's all."

Serena's mind raced. She was emboldened. Palermo didn't know what happened after all. There was no way she did. Aria hadn't told her. Aria must not have told anyone. She was hiding from Palermo, and Serena knew why. There was no telling what Palermo would take from Aria if the truth was discovered.

Serena thought for a moment, and her face turned a vague shade of red. A terrible thought crept into her head.

What could _she_ get from Aria?

She shook her head as if to shake the thought out, but it didn't work. The only thing it accomplished was causing Palermo to take notice.

"Is something the matter?" said Palermo.

"I-"

Serena paused. She couldn't believe what she was preparing to say.

"I was wondering if you knew a way I could talk to Aria," she said. "I know you said you haven't heard from her recently, but I would like to talk to her, too."

Palermo stared at her. Serena regretted saying anything, and she doubled down by speaking again.

"I mean, if that's not too much trouble!" said Serena. "I know it's not my place to bother her like that! I'm sure she's very busy, but I was just hoping, well, that I could..."

Serena trailed off. Her face was very red. She felt like a fool. A pitiful fool.

Palermo looked amused.

"Still sizing up the competition, are you?" said Palermo. "Looking to learn some of her secrets on your own?"

"Well, I-"

Serena stopped when Palermo reached into her handbag.

"You're full of surprises," said Palermo. "Unconventional, I must admit, but I like your style."

Serena couldn't believe that Palermo thought this was about showcases. Palermo grinned as she pulled a pen and a business card out of her bag. She set the card atop her knee and wrote.

"I make no promises that she'll respond to you. She won't even respond to me right now, after all."

Palermo handed the card to Serena. An email address was written on the back of it.

"She hasn't answered her phone in days," said Palermo. "I think you'll likely have better luck through an alternate channel."

Serena stared at the card. Her eyes went wide. It was Aria's email address.

"And since it seems you have a little more of that competitive spirit than you let on, you can find me on the other side, if you're still interested."

Palermo winked at Serena. Serena flipped the card over. It was another copy of the exact same business card Palermo had given her after the Master Class.

Serena stared at Palermo. She could not believe her luck.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," said Palermo. "Don't go sharing that address, now. And don't take too long on your decision, either."

Serena found herself speechless. The limousine rolled to a stop. She looked out the window and saw that they were at the base of Prism Tower. Before she could say anything at all, the driver opened the door for her.

"Take care," said Palermo.

Serena exited the limousine and stepped back. A few seconds later, it pulled away, disappearing into the mess of traffic down the street.

* * *

The afternoon passed at the Lumiose City Gym without any mention of Serena's encounter with Palermo. When Serena arrived, she found Clembot battling a trainer in the arena, with Bonnie watching from the stands. Clemont was in his workshop, neck-deep in wires and parts, with a welding mask covering his face. He insisted that he was not leaving until his Korrinabot prototype was functional, no matter how long it took.

When Serena abandoned the idea of talking some reason into him and returned to the arena, she found Clembot facing another challenger. This time, the challenger was a young woman. Every time Clembot and his team made a good move, Bonnie taunted the challenger by saying how much better at battling Clemont's girlfriend was than she was.

That got Clemont out of his workshop in short order.

Despite the legendary talking-to that Bonnie received, the only thing Serena could think about was the business card Palermo gave her. She had a way to contact Aria, but what in the world was she supposed to say? The thought of what she was preparing to do make her feel itchy. It felt wrong.

She kept quiet about it. Hours later, after dinner, under the excuse that she was taking her Pokémon to the Pokémon Center for a quick checkup, she left the house and walked the several blocks to the nearest Pokémon Center. True to her word, she handed over her Pokémon to Nurse Joy. While she waited, she headed over to the public computers and began composing an email.

Or rather, _trying_ to compose an email. She started it three times and deleted everything. Her Pokémon were ready long before she was done. She picked them up from the front desk and had them all sit with her as she tried to organize her thoughts.

Pancham was little help, and he sat on top of the monitor looking like he was too cool to be there. Sylveon did her best to soothe Serena's nerves, rubbing her back with her feelers and cuddling up with her. Braixen was the most help. Her sly streak conveniently absent, she listened to every word as Serena tried to talk her way through the process.

After an hour of belaboring the point, she found the right words. Or, at least, words that were good enough, she hoped.

 _Aria,_

 _I'm sure you're wondering how I got this address. The answer is that I got it from Palermo. I ran into her in Lumiose City this afternoon. I promise you that I told her nothing about what happened in Monego City. I don't think she knows anything about it._

 _Your plan to protect me from her worked. She tried to convince me to work with her, but I refused. She even tried to tempt me with money, but I still told her no. It sounded like she's looking for you. She said she hasn't heard from you in a few days. I understand why._

 _Her offer of money was hard to refuse. I'm in a really tough situation. I lost everything when I fell into the harbor in Monego City. The salt water ruined everything. My mom is very angry with me. She doesn't have the money to replace any of it. I lost all my clothes, my shoes, my tablet, even my Pok_ _é_ _dex._

 _Right now, all I have are my Pok_ _é_ _mon and some borrowed clothes. I may not even have a real home anymore. I had a huge fight with my mom when I talked to her. I spent all day today applying for jobs around Lumiose City, but when I ran into Palermo, I got the idea of asking you for help._

 _You said in the note you left for me that the train tickets home were only the beginning of paying me back for what you did. I hate that I have to do this, and it feels wrong, but I think you are the only person who can help me. Can you please help me pay for replacing my belongings? Like you said in your note, I never would have been in this situation if not for you. It would help make things right if you were to help me._

 _I hope that you're doing okay, wherever you are._

 _-Serena_

She clicked the _Send_ button. She felt sick to her stomach. She was no better than Aria, no better than Palermo. She was a liar and a deceiver, too.

It was not meant to be blackmail. It was meant to be sincere, and yet that was what made it blackmail. It was emotional blackmail, meant to tug at Aria's heartstrings and trick her into providing the resources Serena needed to reunite with her romantic rival. It was adding insult to injury. It was pure, cold deceit.

She deceived Palermo to get Aria's contact information, and she was attempting to deceive Aria to get money from her. None of what she wrote was a lie, but it was not the whole truth. It was a lie by omission, and it was deliberate. After everything that had happened between them, how was she supposed to ask Aria for money so she could go be with Ash? That would have been even more insulting, even more heartless. That's how she justified it to herself, anyway.

Serena hated it. She absolutely hated it, and she hated herself as she walked back to Clemont and Bonnie's house and threw herself onto her cot, locking the door behind her.

* * *

The next morning, Serena forced herself to get out of bed as soon as the sun was up, once again. She had to continue her job hunt. As much as she wanted to hope that Aria would answer her prayers, she refused to allow herself to get her hopes up. It was too much of a long shot. Having hope would mean getting hurt, and she knew it.

Determined not to repeat her mistakes from yesterday, she went down to the kitchen and drank a full glass of water before doing anything else. Feeling like an intruder, she filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove to boil, then looked through the refrigerator and cabinets for anything she could have as a quick breakfast. She felt like she was literally raiding their pantry.

She settled on a banana that was a few days past ripe, one she was sure would not be missed. She peeled it over the trash can and forced herself to eat it. She hated what she was doing. It didn't matter that she had an open invitation to stay there. She was imposing. She was a burden. It was wrong of her to take anything else after she had been given so much for nothing in return, and yet, she was still begging.

When the kettle boiled and whistled, she turned off the burner and stared at it for a while. It took several minutes for her to work up the courage to take a tea bag and pour herself a cup of tea. She couldn't stop taking, couldn't stop begging, couldn't stop asking for more, and couldn't offer anyone anything. She was a failure.

She shook her head. She couldn't think like that, and she knew it. She had promised herself she wouldn't think like that. Those worries were supposed to be long gone, crumbled away to ashes in a bonfire on a beach in a distant city, what felt like a lifetime ago. Somehow, it was only four days. How were all those worries still with her? Why had they come back to haunt her so soon? She was stronger than this.

She knew what she needed to do. She needed to talk to Ash. She needed to hear him again, to see his face, to tell him everything that had happened and to hear him say that everything was going to be alright, no matter what. It would give her the strength to get through the day. She needed it. She couldn't give up now. She had to keep fighting. She had to find a way to get to him.

After lingering over her cup of tea for longer than she liked, she poured it out in the sink and headed out the front door. She made her way to the Pokémon Center, ducking and weaving between the masses of people on the street, invisible to all of them as they mindlessly headed to their jobs. She knew she would join them in their daily procession, sooner or later. Given her circumstances, she wasn't sure which she preferred.

When she entered the Pokémon Center, a surprise greeted her. As she walked past the reception desk and toward the public computers, a voice interrupted her.

"Excuse me!"

Serena turned and stopped. Nurse Joy waved to her from behind the desk.

"You're Serena, aren't you?" said Nurse Joy.

Serena blinked, mouth open. A rush of memory came to her. This was the very same Pokémon Center where she received Aria's forged invitation to the Grand Monego Hotel.

"Yes, I am."

"I thought I remembered you," said Nurse Joy. "You have another letter waiting for you."

"I do?"

"Right here," said Nurse Joy. She reached across the counter and handed Serena an envelope. "It was left for you overnight."

Serena took the envelope. It felt familiar, made of a heavy sort of paper, the kind that gave it a feeling of importance.

The neat cursive handwriting she expected on the front was missing. In its place was a sticker with her name on it, typed in plain, bland font.

"Do you know who left this for me?" Serena asked.

"I'm afraid not. It was left here before my shift started. You'll have to open it to find out!"

Serena thanked Nurse Joy and slipped away to the privacy of the computer kiosks. She picked the most remote one she could find, all the way in the far corner of the room. She sat down and examined the envelope in her hands.

It felt so familiar, but there was something unusual about it. She suspected it was from Aria, but why did she go to the trouble of concealing her handwriting? Was it an extra precaution? Was it paranoia from all their exchanges in Monego City?

Serena took a deep breath, then slid her finger under the flap and opened the envelope.

There was a single piece of paper inside. At first, it resisted all of her attempts to read it. It was covered in formal-looking stamps and seals. Watermarks filled the background, obscuring the text. Ink shone in all the colors of the rainbow. It was incomprehensible until she located the title line.

 _Bank of Kalos - Money Order_

Serena's heart thundered. There was no way. It was impossible. It had not yet been twelve hours since she contacted Aria.

Her hands shaking and suddenly very cold, she woke up the computer in front of her and logged into her email account. She messed up the username and password several times from nerves.

There was no reply in her inbox. She checked her outbox, curious if the message had ever been sent at all. Not only was it there in her outbox, but there was an unexpected addition to it, at the very bottom.

 _Received: Yesterday, 8:07 PM_

Serena had to remind herself to breathe. She opened another tab in the browser and steadied her fingers long enough to log into her bank account.

Her eyes went wide. She held a hand over her gaping mouth.

There were more zeroes in her account balance than she had ever seen in any number. The hand she had on the keyboard joined her other, covering her mouth and stifling a gasp.

She was a millionaire.

* * *

The next several minutes went missing in Serena's memory. She remembered sitting in a stall in the women's restroom, half-laughing and half-hyperventilating as she stared at the miraculous document in her hands. She was certain she scared at least one other person out of the restroom. She didn't care.

She read the money order over and over, trying to comprehend how it could be real. There was no doubt of its authenticity. There was no way it could be forged. It was covered, front and back, in anti-counterfeit measures. When she held it up to the light, the hidden security strip inside it became visible. There was a raised seal of the Bank of Kalos stamped on the bottom, next to the time and date. It was sent last night, from an anonymous account. It was surreal. It was the kind of thing she heard about on the news, the sort of tactic used by slimy politicians to conceal their bribes. Somehow, she was the one on the receiving end of it.

She pinched herself twice. She wasn't dreaming. It was real.

When she left the Pokémon Center, Serena halfway expected to be accosted by the police as soon as she walked out the door. With no bag, she clutched her three Poké Balls against her chest with one arm while she held the money order with both hands, determined to protect it.

It was meaningless. The paper had no use now. The money was already in her account. Regardless, it felt like her lifeline. She had to keep it safe, from both hands and eyes. She had to keep it _secret._ No one could know. Nobody could ever know. If the truth were uncovered, it would be the end of her. She knew it.

Paranoia gripped Serena's mind. She darted from alley to alley, looking all around for any sign of being followed or watched. Every girl of similar height to Aria was surely Aria in disguise. Every corner hid someone waiting to accost her. Every car with darkened windows hid someone watching her.

She needed to hide. She needed to disappear. How perfect, then, that the document she held bestowed upon her the tool she needed to do precisely that. It was beyond perfect. Too perfect. It was a trap. It had to be. It was so clever, so devious. Give her what she needed, then rip it right from her hands. Tear her down, tear her apart.

The truth would ruin everything. A forged invitation. Trespassing on the private property of two celebrities. A love triangle with the most famous person in Kalos, the mastermind behind everything. A bitter, sordid struggle for a young man's heart with a girl who worked for a celebrity chef, a girl who had almost unraveled the entire plot, a girl who threatened to inform the press.

Serena felt Miette leering at her from all directions. When she looked, there was no one to be found. She was alone in the crowd, lost among the endless, nameless, faceless river of people flowing through the streets of Lumiose City.

She could not bear it any longer. She ducked inside the first open door she found. The chatter of the crowd hushed behind her as she crossed the threshold.

For a split second, her heart stopped. Miette welcomed her to the store. Aria flipped through a selection of clothes hanging from a rack. Her mother waited outside the fitting room. Palermo and Diantha stood behind the front counter.

When Serena blinked, they all vanished, replaced by strangers. She ignored the odd look the girl at the front door gave her as she stood there, vacant, spiraling back down to reality. She examined the paper in hands again. It was still real. Nothing else was. She recognized no one in the store. No one was following her. No one was paying any attention to her, aside from the bewildered greeter.

Wordless, Serena wandered deeper into the store. It was an upscale boutique. It was fancy. Too fancy. It would be too obvious that she had come by the money through ill means. Everything for sale was far too ostentatious. It would have been like wearing a neon sign displaying her misdeeds for all to see.

She left. Back on the street, while her mind raced, two things occurred to her. One, she was very hungry, and two, she had no idea if trying to use the money in her account would even work.

So, she entered a bakery. She ordered the cheapest pastry they sold. She held her breath while she entered her payment information and waited for the charge to be approved.

It went through.

Blank, walking without thinking or seeing, Serena took her pastry over to an empty table and sat down. She took a tentative first bite, then an enthusiastic second bite, then devoured the whole thing. It was delicious. She stared at the door for minutes on end, not even blinking. No one was coming for her. Not the police, not Aria, not anyone. This was all real, all too good to be true, yet it was as true as she was alive and sitting there.

Her stomach growled. She was still hungry. She removed her eyes from the door and looked into the case of baked goods by the front counter. An odd realization occurred to her. The price tags were irrelevant now. She could have purchased the entire case if she wanted.

What she did purchase was another pastry and a cup of tea. When she finished them and stepped back outside, the world had never seemed brighter. The muggy air felt like paradise. The haze of another sweltering summer day looked like the bluest sky in the world. The strangers looked like strangers again.

Her heart soared. There was so much to do.

The first order of business was acquiring a bag. Determined to keep her newfound wealth to herself, Serena found a thrift shop. After a considerable amount of mixing and matching, she assembled an outfit that was both cute and fit her, more or less. The mint-green skirt was the right size, but the floral-print shirt she paired with it was cavernous enough on her that she secured it with a knot in the front. Since it was so loose, she supplemented it with a skin-tight white tank top underneath. She replaced Korrina's now well-worn flats with a pair of running shoes with an odd pattern in red and black, and a shoulder bag that matched.

It was a strange outfit, very different from anything she had ever worn before. Serena smiled as she examined herself in the fitting room mirror. She liked that it was so different. It was a new beginning, after all.

She paid for everything and wore her new outfit out of the store. Back on the street, she called Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon out of their balls and breathlessly tried to explain everything that had happened in between visits to more stores. She had so many things to replace. She picked up a new tablet, all sorts of supplies for her Pokémon, and even an extra Poké Ball, just in case.

Her Pokédex, however, was not replaceable. Not in a timely manner, anyway. Only Professor Sycamore could replace it, and that would take weeks. Even with all the time in the world, Serena did not have that kind of time.

She had places to be, and people to see. She was leaving on the next flight to Kanto, no matter what.

Serena returned to Clemont and Bonnie's house one last time to collect her remaining belongings. The house was empty, but this time, there was a spare key waiting for her beneath the welcome mat. Serena tried to compose a note to them, but it was impossible to explain everything. So much had happened, so fast. There was no way she could say everything she wanted to say.

In the end, even though she wasn't satisfied with it, she left her note sitting on the kitchen counter, with the pen placed on top of it as a paperweight.

 _Clemont and Bonnie,_

 _I don't know how to explain it, but I got really lucky today and found a way to get to Kanto after all. I can't thank you two enough for everything you have done for me. We've been through so much together. You're my best friends, and you always will be._

 _I don't know when I will see you again, but I know I will, one day. Until then, I wish both of you nothing but the best!_

 _Love,_

 _-Serena_

 _P.S. - Send my best to Korrina and your dad, too!_

She closed the door behind her, locking it on the way out. She hailed a taxi to the airport and never looked back.


	3. Afraid to Care

Chapter Three – Afraid to Care

By the time her flight landed in Viridian City, Serena had never been so stir-crazy. Twelve hours in the air was far too much time to force herself to slow down and think.

She had not spoken with Ash since their farewell in the Lumiose City Airport. At first, surprising him by showing up at his doorstep unannounced sounded like a great idea. Now, it sounded like the worst idea she had ever had.

Serena knew that Ash was not going to be there waiting for her when she exited the plane. Nobody would be. She was on her own. Regardless, when she walked down the jetway and entered the terminal, she scanned the crowd for familiar faces.

There were none. There was no one except disinterested airport employees and impatient passengers waiting to board their flights. Ash was not there, waiting to greet her with an embrace, nor was anyone else.

Serena stood still in a sea of moving bodies, looking all around, trying to find her bearings. Every few seconds, her tired eyes played tricks on her. Random passerby looked like Aria, or Palermo, or her mother. The security guards looked like they were coming for her, to arrest her for her fraud and drag her back to Kalos. She panicked for a split-second, then blinked. The illusion vanished.

Nobody paid her any attention. She was alone, anonymous in a sea of nobodies.

She was in Kanto, and Ash had no idea. What would be worse? Showing up unannounced, or announcing that she was showing up whether she was welcome or not? Either way, she would be imposing once again. The thought made her queasy.

She wandered toward a window in a secluded corner of the terminal. Her eyes told her it was dark outside, but the rest of her body told her there was no way that could be right. She had no idea how many time zones she had jumped over to get here, nor did she want to know.

She watched a plane back away from another gate. A thought came to her, a memory of words heard long ago. As she recalled, the saying was that it was easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.

Serena envisioned the words adorning a motivational poster, hanging from an office wall. She shuddered. It sounded like the type of thing Palermo would say.

Outside, the various workers on the tarmac all covered their heads. Some ran for cover. Serena soon saw why. A raindrop landed on the glass, right in front of her face. First one, then another, then many.

She watched the rain for a while. She was in Kanto, alone, and nobody knew where she was. Ash didn't, anyway. Her mother would never believe she was here. Clemont and Bonnie knew what continent she was on, but nothing more specific than that. She was effectively a missing person.

She was lost, in senses both literal and figurative. She had Ash's phone number, but not his address. All she knew was that he lived in Pallet Town. She knew Pallet Town was not large. Ash had made that clear many times. Still, even in a small town, what was she supposed to do? Would she have to go door to door asking for directions? She dreaded the thought.

The obvious answer was to call him. She felt like a fool for it, but she dreaded that even more. How was she supposed to explain everything that had happened? What would Ash think about how she managed to get here? Wouldn't it be easier to just show up on his doorstep? They wouldn't have to talk then. She could distract him. She could silence his questions with kisses.

Or, knowing Ash, he wouldn't even question it. Why bring it up in the first place? He did not need to know about her argument with her mother, or her sudden fortune. Not yet, anyway. There would be time for that later. They had forever. Right now, all that mattered was reuniting with him.

Her head spun. She slumped down onto the nearest bench. She was both tired and wired, stuck in that particular state of fatigue in which it felt impossible to fall asleep. The more she tried to organize her thoughts, the more insane it all seemed. Less than a week ago, she was hopelessly single. Less than two days ago, she was broke and essentially homeless. Now, she was absurdly wealthy and had traveled to another continent to visit her boyfriend on a whim.

Serena reached into her bag and pulled out Braixen's Poké Ball. She opened it.

Braixen appeared next to her. Curious, Braixen took a moment to inspect her new surroundings.

"I'm not sure how much you overheard while you were in your ball," said Serena. "I'm sorry I haven't talked more. Things have been really crazy."

Braixen sat next to Serena and joined her in looking out the raindrop-covered window.

"We're in Viridian City, in Kanto," said Serena. "I don't really know what happened, but that message to Aria you helped me write? It worked. She sent me a ton of money. More than I even know what to do with."

Braixen looked up at Serena. Her eyes moved all about, examining all the new things she saw.

"That's how I got these clothes, this bag, everything. That's how we're here right now."

Braixen appeared to understand. She said nothing and returned to looking out the window. Rain continued to patter against the glass.

"Ash doesn't know we're here, though. He doesn't know we're coming. I haven't talked to him."

Braixen looked at Serena with an expression that made her squirm.

"Because I'm nervous about it!" said Serena. "I don't want to impose on him. What if his mom doesn't want me there?"

Serena paused for a second.

"And don't tell me I should have asked first! I know already. I didn't have the time."

Serena bit her lip. She looked away.

"And I didn't want to."

Without looking, she felt Braixen's skeptical glance cutting right through her.

"Yes, _really,"_ she said, folding her arms. "I know I shouldn't worry about things like this, but I can't help it! This is all so new! I don't know how to be a girlfriend!"

Serena saw Braixen's reflection in the window. She hid a smile, clearly amused.

"Besides, I _want_ to surprise him," said Serena. She straightened up in her seat and gave her own reflection a tiny nod. "It's more fun that way. It's more romantic."

Serena saw Braixen's reflection roll her eyes.

"What's not romantic about it?" said Serena. "I've traveled halfway around the world on a moment's notice because I have to be with him! I _need_ him! This is the kind of thing you see in movies!"

Braixen's eyes shifted back to Serena. The amused expression remained on her face. Serena immediately interjected.

"None of your wit, please. I need your help. And _no,_ pointing out how dramatic I am right now is _not_ helping."

Serena turned her head. She saw the terminal emptying, the last few stragglers from their flight making their way toward baggage claim. She felt no desire to follow them. The only bag she had was over her shoulder. Still, she knew it was time to go. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and lifted her shoulders as she inhaled. She did not let them fall as she exhaled. She sat up straight and opened her eyes again.

"We've got to get to Pallet Town somehow, and we're not going to get there by standing here," she said. "Let's go."

Braixen looked like she approved of this. Serena rose from the bench, and Braixen followed her.

Serena led the way up the concourse. They went through the security checkpoint and past baggage claim, all the way to ground transportation. At first, she tried to find a taxi that would take them all the way to Pallet Town, but every service refused to travel that far, even when she insisted she would pay for it. Instead, she settled for a taxi to the Pokémon Center.

It was pouring rain when they arrived. Serena paid the driver and hurried into the center, recalling Braixen to her ball and then running to the door with her hands over her head.

Of all the things she had purchased, she had neglected to buy a hat. After wringing the water out of her hair, she regrouped. She spoke to Nurse Joy at the front desk, surprised to see how different she looked from the nurses in Kalos. She asked how long it took to get to Pallet Town on foot.

Nurse Joy told her it took experienced trainers most of a day. For a moment, Serena wondered if she counted as an experienced trainer. She dismissed her doubts almost immediately. It was ridiculous. After how far she had gone with Ash, there was no reason to doubt herself.

The only question was whether or not she would have to wait for the rain to pass. A sense of embarrassment came over her as she realized that not only had she failed to purchase a new hat, but also any rain gear whatsoever.

Disappointed in herself, she sat down on a bench near the front door of the building. She watched the rain while she tried to decide if it was too late to call Ash after all, and if it would be worth it to try to find a hotel room for the night. The Pokémon Center was not an option. She still had no identification as an official trainer. She had no Pokédex.

But then, she noticed another difference between Kanto and Kalos. Across the street was a large building with a sign which read _P_ _oké Mart._ The lights were still on.

Her head rushing with ideas, Serena covered her head with her hands again and dashed across the street, through the rain. When she burst through the doors of the Poké Mart, she came to a halt on the doormat, dripping. While she tried to shake the water off, the attendant behind the counter took notice of her and laughed.

"Looks like you could use an umbrella!" he said.

The attendant nodded past Serena, and Serena's eyes followed the motion. Her eyes landed on a basket with several folded umbrellas inside it.

She grinned. She knew what she was going to do.

Ten minutes later, she leaned against the checkout counter as she removed her normal shoes and replaced them with brand-new rain boots. Her feet squeaked as she crossed the tile floor, headed for the door.

"Good luck out there!" the attendant called as Serena opened her big red umbrella and stepped outside. Serena thanked him, but she knew she didn't need luck.

She already had everything she needed.

It was dark, but Viridian City was well-lit and well-marked with street signs. It was no trouble at all to find the path which led south to Pallet Town. The trouble came when she started down the path and realized there were no more street lights. So, once again, she called on Braixen.

Braixen was appalled by the conditions when she materialized next to Serena. Even under the umbrella, she huddled against Serena's leg, keeping clear of the rain.

"Sorry about the weather!" said Serena. "I really need your help, though. We're on the road to Pallet Town, and it's dark out here now that we've left the city. I need your light."

Reluctant, Braixen pulled her wand from her tail and lit it. In an instant, a circle of warm, flickering light surrounded both of them.

"Thank you! I know how much you don't like rain, but I'll do my best to keep you dry, okay? As long as you stay close to me, I'll keep the umbrella right above you, I promise."

Braixen did not seem pleased, but she removed herself from Serena's leg and took a step forward, remaining under the umbrella. She scanned the area, holding her wand high.

The road ahead was empty. Braixen looked back at Serena. Serena knew Braixen was beckoning her forward.

"Thank you," said Serena. She took a step, then Braixen took another, and they were on their way. "It's going to be a long walk, but honestly, I'm excited."

Braixen chuffed.

"Because it's the beginning of a new adventure!" said Serena. "Think of how much we've grown since we first left Professor Sycamore's lab together. We've come so far. Isn't it fun to get a chance to start over again now that we know so much more?"

Braixen did not acknowledge Serena. Serena waited a moment before she spoke again.

"Well, at the very least, we'll get to see Ash, Pikachu, Greninja, and all his other Pokémon again soon."

She wasn't sure, but Serena thought she saw Braixen straighten up ever so slightly.

The two of them carried on, beneath their big red umbrella, down the winding road into the night.

* * *

The rain stopped during the middle of the night, which Braixen appreciated very much. When she grew tired of walking in the mud, she took to scorching the ground ahead of her dry with jets of flame. By the time the sun rose, she was in need of a good rest. So was Serena.

Serena returned Braixen to her ball as soon as it was light enough to continue without her help. She was running on fumes. She knew it had been short-sighted to try to walk all through the night.

She stopped to lean against a tree and rest for a moment before continuing. She knew she was getting closer, but she had no idea how much further it would be. She pulled out her new navigator tablet, but it couldn't find any signal. She was too far away from civilization. It was just as she remembered from her time at summer camp.

She pushed onward. She knew she was going to fall asleep without something to keep her awake. She called out Pancham and Sylveon and walked with them, listening to their chatter and trying to keep up with them. She was so tired.

But when she saw a windmill on the horizon, her fatigue vanished.

A few minutes later, she returned Pancham and Sylveon to their balls as she descended a quiet road into a coastal valley, a small town the only thing separating her from the sea. Farms and quaint houses dotted the landscape, painted in all the colors of the rainbow. Above them all, on a high hill, a building larger than any of the others stood beneath the shadow of the windmill. Serena knew where she was, and a sign confirmed it.

 _Welcome to Pallet Town - Population: 151_

Serena wondered if the population figure included Pokémon. It seemed impossible that someone who had traveled the world, met dozens of legendary Pokémon, and come within an instant of being a league champion had grown up in such a meager place. It was no wonder Ash was the way he was. Pallet Town never could have contained him. His dreams were too big for it.

It was still early morning as Serena descended into the town proper. There was no sign of activity anywhere. She had no idea where she needed to go, but there was no one to ask for directions.

She wandered toward the center of the town. To her relief, she found another person. On a bench in the town square, a young man sat with a notebook, watching a flock of Pidgey pecking in the grass. His eyes moved from the Pidgey to the notebook and back again, his pencil running fluidly across the paper.

When Serena saw him, she wasn't sure how to get his attention without startling the Pidgey. For lack of a better idea, she stood some distance away and waved with both hands, silently.

A few seconds later, the young man noticed her and looked up.

"Hello?" he called.

To Serena's surprise, the Pidgey did not move when he spoke, nor when he folded his notebook shut and walked toward her. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with a friendly face. His long hair was held back by a headband.

"I haven't seen you around here before," he said. "Are you new in town?"

"Kind of?" said Serena. "I'm just visiting."

"We don't get many visitors here. Are you here to see someone?"

Serena struggled to find the right way to phrase her response. She had never asked a stranger for directions to someone's house before.

"Yes, actually," she said. "I'm looking for the Ketchum residence."

The young man's eyebrows raised.

"The Ketchum residence?"

Serena immediately felt foolish.

"Yes," she said, averting her eyes. "If you happen to know where that is, I would really appreciate directions, please."

Her face grew warm. She had never felt so silly in her life. She expected to be laughed at.

The young man smiled.

"Sure! I know exactly where that is."

Serena's eyes widened.

"You do?"

"Sure do."

The young man pointed down an adjacent road.

"Just head three blocks down that road, then turn right. It's the first house on the right."

Serena stared at him.

"Really?" she said.

"Really," he said with a nod.

Serena looked down the road, then back to him.

"Thank you!" she said.

"No problem. Say hello to Delia for me."

It wasn't until Serena was across the street that it occurred to her that she never got the guy's name. She had bigger things on her mind. Three blocks. The first house on the right.

Ash was there. She was going to see him again.

And this time, they were never going to be apart again.

When she turned the corner, she found that the first house on the right was, in fact, the only house on the right. It was the only house on the quaint little road at all. It was a pale shade of blue with a red roof, and a white picket fence surrounded it. Inside the fence was an abundance of plants, a teeming garden in full bloom.

And on the mailbox, a name - _Ketchum._

Serena's heart fluttered. This was it. Ash's home, at last.

For years, during times when Ash was nothing more than a distant memory, she had daydreamed of finding this place. It was more wonderful than she had ever envisioned. It was picture perfect. A swing hung from a tree in the front yard. Fragrances, carried on the gentle breeze, drifted all around, the sweet scent of dozens of magnificent flowers.

It was so unlike her own home. It was like something out of a storybook. It felt too perfect to touch or to intrude. She had to work up the courage to undo the latch on the gate and head to the front door. When she ascended the steps, she stepped lightly, feeling as though it would be wrong to make too much noise. This was too wonderful a place for her to disturb.

But she disturbed it anyway.

She pressed the button for the doorbell and heard the ring echo inside. A few seconds later, she heard footsteps approaching the door.

The interior door swung open. Behind the glass of the exterior door, a tall, slender woman looked out at Serena. She had the same eyes as Ash.

"Hello?" she said.

Serena froze. Somehow, this situation had never occurred to her. It was supposed to be Ash who answered the door. Every time she had ever pictured this scenario in her mind, it was Ash, not his mother.

Another figure appeared in the doorway. It was a Mr. Mime, wearing an apron and holding a broom.

"Hi, um…"

Serena bit her lip. She had no idea where to start. Could she ask if Ash was home? Was she supposed to introduce herself first?

The Mr. Mime began to raise the broom as if brandishing it as a weapon.

"It's okay, Mimey."

Ash's mother waved a hand at the Mr. Mime, and he lowered the broom. She opened the door.

"You look very familiar," Ash's mother said. She took a closer look at Serena. "Have we met before?"

Serena knew the answer was technically no, but they had spoken on a couple of occasions over the phone. What was far more surprising to her than being recognized was that she wasn't _more easily_ recognized. Did she really look that different?

"Not exactly," she said. "I'm Serena."

Ash's mother's face lit up with recognition.

"Oh, yes, of course! I remember you!" she said. "You're Ash's friend from Kalos! I'm surprised to see you here. You've come such a long way. I don't think Ash was expecting you."

Serena blinked.

No, Ash probably was not expecting her. It probably really was a surprise for her to be here.

But she definitely was more than just a friend.

"I wanted to surprise him," said Serena. "Is he here?"

Ash's mother shook her head.

"No, he ran off to Professor Oak's lab first thing this morning. He didn't even eat breakfast first! I think he was too excited to see all his Pokémon again."

Serena's stomach sank. Ash wasn't even home. After all this effort, there would be no picture-perfect reunion. He wasn't home, and his mom was.

"Would you care for some breakfast?"

Serena snapped back to reality upon hearing the question. An assortment of delicious scents wafted out the door. It made Serena's stomach growl, but she had more important things to worry about.

"Thank you, but I want to get going, actually. You said Ash was at Professor Oak's lab, right? How do I get there? I'd like to see him right away."

Serena wasn't sure, but she thought Ash's mother looked a little hurt.

"It's back toward the center of town, then a right at the town square. Go all the way to the end of the road. It's the biggest building in town, up on a hill. You can't miss it! Just look for the windmill."

Serena bowed her head.

"Thank you, Mrs. Ketchum," she said.

"Oh, it's my pleasure," she said. "It's always so good to see Ash's friends. And please, call me Delia."

"Oh! Well, thank you, _Delia."_

Awkwardness ate at Serena as she left. As awkward as it was to be asked to call Ash's mother by her first name, it was far more awkward to have met her at the door in the first place. It had to have been the most embarrassing thing she had ever done, showing up on another continent and asking if her boyfriend was home, only to be told he was not.

But beyond all that, something more concerning lingered in the back of Serena's mind.

Either Delia was going out of her way to avoid calling her Ash's girlfriend, or she had no idea at all.

* * *

The walk to the lab was a short one, as Serena suspected every walk to every landmark was in Pallet Town. She chose to ignore everything that had just happened. She had not talked to Ash's mom. She had not had her dream of him coming to the door to greet her ruined. She decided it.

As she climbed the hill to the lab, it occurred to her how odd it was that it was here at all. It was easily the largest building in town. It made no sense that such an important research facility would be in a place so isolated. And yet, here it was.

She pushed open the front door and entered the lobby. She was greeted by a familiar face. The same young man from the town square sat behind the front desk.

Serena pointed at him.

"You!" she said.

"Hey there again!" he said. "Didja get lost?"

"No," said Serena. "The directions you gave me worked great, but when I got there, Ash's mom told me that he was here, at the lab."

The young man's eyebrows raised. He laughed.

"Ash?" he said. "I wish you'd told me that's who you were looking for. He's been here with his Pokémon all morning! I could have taken you right to him."

"You know him?" said Serena.

"Know him? I traveled through the Orange Islands with him!"

"Wait."

Serena gripped her head with both hands. Something about this sounded familiar.

Before she could conjure the memory, a memory of stories told over a campfire long ago, a hand was extended to her.

"I'm Tracey. You must be one of Ash's friends, I bet."

Serena took Tracey's hand and accepted the handshake. His hand was giant compared to hers, but his grip was gentle.

She remembered his name. Tracey, the artist who met his idol, Professor Oak, and gave up a life on the road to become his assistant.

"I'm Serena," she said.

She expected to see recognition in Tracey's eyes. She saw nothing of the sort, no sign at all that Tracey had a clue who she was.

"Nice to meet you," he said, getting up from the desk. "I'll take you out back to where Ash is."

Serena said nothing and followed him. Something strange was happening.

"So are you from Kalos?" Tracey asked, talking over his shoulder as they walked.

Serena knew it now. Ash hadn't told Tracey, at a minimum.

"Yes," said Serena. "I just flew in last night."

"You really came a long way to get here, didn't you? I'm sure Ash will be surprised. It's not often that any of his old friends come to see him. I've been here for years and I've only seen it a couple of times. Pallet Town is just too far out of the way for most people, I think."

Serena was certain that Tracey kept talking without any response from her, but she had no idea what he said. There was no denying it. Tracey didn't know. She had no doubt that Ash's mother was clueless, too.

She clenched her jaw. She was going to make it known to everyone the second she saw him.

Tracey pushed open another door, and he held it open as they exited into the backyard of the lab. The space was bigger than Serena ever could have realized from the front entrance. They were inside a paddock that stretched for miles into the distance, containing every type of Pokémon habitat imaginable.

It was hard to tell at first, due to the crowd of Pokémon around him, but Ash stood only a short distance away. He held a frisbee, which he threw, and then dozens of Pokémon went chasing after it.

And then, he stood alone.

Serena cupped her hands around her mouth and called to him.

 _"Ash!"_

She went running toward him. An instant later, his head turned, and his jaw dropped.

 _"Serena?"_

Ash was only able to take a few steps forward before Serena sprinted up to him and wrapped him up in her arms with such force that they went tumbling to the ground.

"Sere-!"

Ash's exclamation was silenced by Serena's kiss. A second later, he pulled away from her.

Serena opened her eyes and saw Ash looking her over, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"It really is you!" he said. "I can't believe it!"

Serena refused to let him pull away. She tightened her grip around him and pulled him in closer, burying her head in the crook of his neck.

"I can't believe it's _you!"_ she said.

"How did you…"

Ash trailed off. A moment later, he wrestled his way out of Serena's grip, trying to stand. Serena clung onto him, refusing to let him rise. Ash shook her off anyway.

Serena sat up, intending to get on her feet and throw her arms around him again while demanding an explanation. Her explanation came when she realized there were several dozen angry Pokémon charging in her direction.

Ash stood between her and the oncoming stampede with his arms outstretched.

"It's okay!" Ash yelled. "She wasn't trying to hurt me!"

Though the horde slowed, it did not stop. Serena began to back away. They were coming for her.

And then, out of nowhere, several Pokémon she recognized surrounded her. Greninja, Hawlucha, Talonflame, and Noivern all formed a protective circle around her. In front of all of them, Pikachu stood between Ash and the stampede, imploring everyone to stop.

Moments later, they all came skidding to a halt.

Ash let out a sigh of relief. Pikachu wiped his brow.

"Whew! You guys really had me worried there!" said Ash.

The mass of Pokémon eyed Serena with curiosity. The Pokémon surrounding her let their guard down and stepped aside.

Serena sat there, bewildered, staring at dozens of Pokémon she had never met before.

"It's okay, everyone," said Ash, holding up his hands as if trying to smooth over the situation. "This is Serena. She's one of my friends I traveled with in Kalos."

"Actually, I'm his _girl_ friend."

Ash turned around with a nervous smile on his face, one that showed too many teeth to be natural. He held up his hands as if trying to stop her.

Serena soon discovered why.

A Pokémon broke away from the pack and came stomping up to Serena. It was a four-legged Pokémon with a leaf on its head. It leered at her with its red eyes, craning its long neck to get directly in her face.

Serena wasn't sure if the spicy smell that accompanied it was normal or if it was a sign that it was angry.

"Bayleef, cut it out!" said Ash.

Bayleef looked at Ash. When she saw how irritated he was, she bowed her head.

"Be nice to Serena," said Ash. "She's a very close friend of mine."

Bayleef shifted her eyes from Ash back to Serena. She gave Serena an imperious glare. It made Serena back away a few inches. Bayleef huffed, then walked away, eyes shut and nose turned up.

Pikachu said something to Bayleef as she passed, but he got no response. Ash shrugged.

"Well, uh, that's Bayleef," he said.

The scent of intense spice still lingered in the air. It made Serena's nose itch.

"She seems… _really_ attached to you," said Serena. Then, she sneezed.

"Yeah, she kinda is," said Ash. He had a goofy, yet nervous grin on his face. "She's always been that way."

Serena heard a few cries coming from the mass of Pokémon still gathered before them. Their voices sounded different from Bayleef's. They sounded eager. Working its way out of the mass came a jolly-looking Bulbasaur. It walked up to Serena and extended a vine to her.

Serena hesitated for a moment. She looked at Ash. Ash nodded.

She took Bulbasaur's vine in her hand and shook it.

"See? Everyone else is really excited to meet you," said Ash.

 _"You can say that again."_

Both Serena and Ash turned their heads at the sound of the voice. Several other people had gathered around them. Tracey was there, along with a man who was unmistakably Professor Oak.

Next to Professor Oak was a young man who looked to be around the same age as Ash, with spiky hair and a smirk on his face.

"Well well, _Ashy-boy,_ it looks like you've got some explaining to do!"

* * *

By the time Ash finished explaining the situation, Serena had never seen him so red in the face, nor had she ever seen him so eager to leave. After Gary asked a question about what the two of them had been doing together in Kalos that was a blatant double entendre, Serena made up an excuse about needing to help Ash's mom with lunch. Pulling Ash by the wrist, she led him away.

She did not have to pull hard. If anything, she was holding him back. It felt like Ash was ready to run right past her.

When they were outside and on their own again, Serena spoke.

"Did you really not tell _anyone?"_ she said.

"Well, no," said Ash, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why not?"

"Did you see what happened back there?"

Distress was evident in Ash's voice and face. It was odd to see him like this. She had never seen him so flustered.

"Are you embarrassed by me or something?" said Serena.

"No!" said Ash. "It's _them_ who embarrass me!"

"Your friends?"

"Everyone!" said Ash. "If you thought Gary was bad, wait until my mom finds out."

Ash covered his face with his hands and groaned into them.

"Did you really expect her not to find out?" said Serena.

"I wasn't going to tell her," said Ash.

"Ever?"

"Maybe?"

"Ash!"

Serena put her hands on her hips.

"She's your mother," said Serena. "She has to find out eventually. How bad can it be?"

"She tells me to change my underwear in front of my friends!"

"So? What's the big deal if she embarrasses you? That's what parents do!"

Ash took a deep breath.

"I don't like it," he said. "I didn't want her to know."

"I didn't want my mom to know, either, but I told her," said Serena.

"How did that go?"

For a moment, Serena considered lying.

"Badly," she said.

"Did she ask you a bunch of embarrassing questions?"

"No. She yelled at me. A lot."

"Oh."

Ash went quiet in that peculiar way Serena had seen so many times in Monego City, a way she now understood meant that he couldn't figure out what to say and was nervous to try.

"Your mom isn't like that, is she?" said Serena.

"No," said Ash. "She never yells. She always tells me she's proud of me, no matter what I do."

"Then how bad can it be?" said Serena. "We can tell her together. We can get through this."

"I know," said Ash. "I just can't stand it when she goes on and on about how her baby boy is all grown up!"

Serena tilted her head toward him.

"You kind of are, you know," she said.

Ash looked red in the face again.

"Not you, too!" he said.

"What's the matter? It's true!"

Ash took off his hat and rubbed some sweat from his forehead.

"Just please don't be like my mom, or Gary," he said.

"I don't see what the big deal is," said Serena. "They care about you. They're probably all really happy for you. They're just showing you that in the only way they know how."

Ash smoothed back his hair and put his hat on again. He shook his head.

"Gary has always known how to get to me," he said. "So has my mom."

Serena kept walking with him, her hands behind her back, a curious expression on her face. She wasn't sure whether she was more amused or concerned. It was so strange to see Ash so bothered.

But then again, this was with people he had known his whole life. It was different. She knew it. After all, nobody could get to her quite the way her mother could.

A question still lingered in her head. It was one that had already been answered, but she needed to hear the answer again.

"You're not actually embarrassed by _me,_ right?" she said.

"No," said Ash. "No way. Why would I be?"

"Just making sure."

They continued down the road for a while without speaking, their footsteps the only sound.

Serena remembered so many times she had been walking next to him, desperate to take hold of his hand. She smiled as she reached out to him and slipped her fingers between his, finding neither a hint nor a trace of hesitance or resistance.

"I'm happy to see you again," she said. "I know it wasn't long, but I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

* * *

It was fortuitous that Serena enjoyed Delia's garden so much, because she ended up with plenty of time to tour it while Delia spoke to Ash alone. Serena wasn't sure how much time passed, but it was enough for her to walk through the entire garden and then have a seat on the tree swing in the front yard before Ash came and found her.

When Serena heard the front door open, she looked over her shoulder and saw Ash passing through it, looking as red in the face as ever. If she had not known better, she would have mistaken it for a bad sunburn.

Ash walked toward her, and she met him halfway across the yard.

"My mom says you can come back inside now," he said.

Serena's eyes filled with worry. Ash looked weary, exhausted in a way she had never seen before. She pulled him into a soft hug.

"Are you okay?" she asked him. "Is everything alright?"

Ash hugged her back, then pulled away to look her in the eye.

"Yeah," he said. He looked back at the house for a moment. "That wasn't very fun, but I'm okay."

Serena let her arms fall from him, and she folded her hands.

"What happened?"

Ash shifted his weight from one leg to the other, then pulled off his hat for a moment to smooth his hair back.

"We, uh, talked about… relationship stuff."

Serena wanted to know what that meant, but she knew there was no way that Ash wanted to explain. She let it go.

"We can take a minute or two out here if you need a break," said Serena.

Ash scratched beneath his nose and waved her off.

"I'm fine, really," he said. "Let's go back inside."

Serena followed Ash back into the house. When they entered through the door, Delia was standing in the foyer, waiting for them. Serena wasn't sure what to expect after Ash's reaction, but Delia smiled at her.

"Well, Serena, now that we've had a proper introduction, welcome to our home!" said Delia.

Immediately, Serena felt embarrassed. She had no idea why. It was like some kind of psychic power Delia possessed. She bowed her head.

"Thank you, ma'am," Serena said, wanting to be as polite as possible.

"Please, dear, call me Delia."

Serena bit down on both her lips. There was an awkward silence. Ash fidgeted.

"I want you to know that I'm simply delighted to have you here in our home," said Delia. "I consider Ash's friends to be family. You are welcome to stay here as long as you like."

Serena's eyes went wide.

"Really?" she said.

"Of course!" said Delia. "I couldn't possibly tell you to go find a room somewhere else in Pallet Town. That's no way to treat a guest. What kind of host would I be?"

Serena looked at Ash. He did not seem surprised by this at all. She looked at Delia again.

"Ash _did_ tell you that I'm his girlfriend, didn't he?" said Serena.

Delia's grin became even wider.

"Yes, he did," she said. "That doesn't change a thing. You're still welcome to stay. You and Ash will be staying in separate rooms, though."

Serena's eye twitched. Embarrassment truly was Delia's specialty.

* * *

Fatigue caught up with Serena. She felt as though she sleepwalked through the rest of the day. Once Delia showed her to her room - which was Ash's bedroom, as Ash was being exiled to the spare bedroom - Serena sat down on the bed and put her feet up in hopes of taking a short nap. Instead, the next thing she remembered was being woken up by Delia, who told her that dinner was ready. After that, before she knew it, it was morning.

At first, she had no idea where she was. Several seconds of bleary-eyed blinking passed before her memory caught up with her and she remembered everything that had happened. The room she was in was both unfamiliar and unmistakable. It was Ash's room.

Light peeked in through the gaps in the blinds, casting rays across the floor. Serena rubbed her eyes, the crusty bits from a long night's sleep breaking away as she did. She pulled the covers aside and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She was amazed to see she was wearing her pajamas. She had no memory of changing into them.

She sat on the edge of the bed with her feet touching the floor. She was in the lower bunk of a bunk bed. She couldn't imagine that the top bunk had ever seen much use. She figured the bunk bed was a childhood request that Ash made because he thought it was cool. It was totally something he would have done.

Something felt improper about getting up to explore the room. Serena felt like she was inside a museum, with an invisible curator hovering over her shoulder reminding her to look, but not to touch. As wondrous a place as this was to her, she would have preferred if Delia had been less overbearing in her hospitality and given her the guest room instead.

It was like being inside a time capsule. Serena knew the room had changed little, if at all, since the day Ash left. It was in pristine condition nonetheless. There was no way that it had been cleaned specifically for Ash's return. It was too spotless, too free of dust. It had been cleaned regularly in his absence. Serena was sure of it. The collection of trophies atop the dresser shined too brightly. She suspected they had been polished.

The aroma of breakfast foods crept in through the gap beneath the door. Serena wondered what kind of life Delia led.

When she worked up the nerve to stand, get dressed, and leave the room, she found a massive breakfast waiting for her and Ash downstairs. As it was the night before, the table was set for three. Serena wondered if it was for her, or if Delia really set it that way every day, like Ash said.

Although Delia kept pushing more food onto her plate than she would have liked, Serena had to admit that breakfast was delicious. There was something about a warm meal on a beautiful morning in a cute little house in a quiet town in the middle of nowhere that made her feel more than full. She felt _fulfilled._ There was nothing ominous on the horizon anymore. The future was hers to decide.

As soon as they were done with breakfast, Ash took her by the hand and practically dragged her back to Professor Oak's lab at a full sprint. Thus began an absolute whirlwind of a day.

Serena discovered that stampedes were a commonplace occurrence on Professor Oak's ranch whenever Ash arrived. This was in part because of the herd of thirty Tauros which resided there, but in addition to them, Ash had dozens of Pokémon Serena had never met until now.

To her horror, one of the first she met was Muk, whose preferred method of greeting was to attempt to swallow newcomers whole in a massive hug. She thought she was going to faint before Ash convinced Muk to let her out to have some air.

Snorlax was also a fan of massive hugs, although their exchange consisted mostly of Serena hoping he wasn't going to break her back with his powerful grip. When Snorlax squeezed her, her feet came all the way off the ground, and her face sank into his stomach.

Totodile spent more time with his jaws around her arm than Serena would have liked. Bulbasaur, who Serena learned was the ringleader of this veritable circus, had to remove Totodile by force. She was relieved to escape with her arm still attached. Still, she preferred her situation to that of Ash, who spent a considerable amount of time flailing around trying to pry Gible off his head.

Serena met so many Pokémon that it made her head spin. Every one of them had some incredible story behind how they and Ash met and all the things they had achieved in battle. There were even friend groups which had formed within their small community. There were the Pokémon with their heads in the clouds, and Pokémon which were too excitable for their own good. There was a group of flying types who all flocked together. There was even a group of powerful-looking Pokémon who all seemed like loners, yet welcomed Greninja into their group without hesitation.

Bayleef, meanwhile, spent the whole time sulking in the distance, glaring at Serena every now and then. When Serena asked Ash if Bayleef was okay, Ash said he wasn't sure if she would ever get over it. What that meant was lost on Serena, but Ash laughed about it.

The next few days passed in a frenzy of activity. Playing with Ash's Pokémon was a full-time job. They were as full of energy as their trainer.

Pikachu was something of a celebrity on the ranch, as he was the only Pokémon that every other one of Ash's Pokémon knew. He spent his days stuck in conversation after conversation, everyone always eager to speak with him. His company was so in-demand that Ash left him on the ranch at night.

Serena followed in Ash's footsteps and left her Pokémon on the ranch as well. Though they mostly stuck with the members of Ash's Kalos team, some were quick to make friends. Pancham latched onto Krookodile, enamored with his sunglasses, and styled himself as his sidekick. Whenever Pancham wasn't busy being Krookodile's shadow, he and Scraggy were busy plotting mischief and causing mayhem.

Sylveon took an interest in Bayleef and made repeated attempts to talk to her, only to be brushed aside every time. In between her attempts, she talked in hushed tones with Leavanny, who seemed just as concerned.

Braixen, meanwhile, was always one step behind Greninja.

In between endless hours of games and practice battles on the ranch, Serena found herself desperate to pull Ash aside for some alone time. Every time she did, ducking behind a tree for a few moments or lingering inside when everyone else was already out the door, she wanted to hold him and never let go.

What started as a few seconds here and there to give him a flirty peck on the lips and exchange a few cute glances and words turned into something more serious. The more she did it, the more the seconds turned into minutes, and the more time she spent with her cheeks burning red. When she arrived, she knew the exact number of times they had kissed. By the third day, she lost track.

She felt like she was developing a crush on him all over again. It made no sense. How could she have a _crush_ on Ash at this point? They were together. She was his girlfriend. She was spending her days doing nothing but kissing him and cuddling him in between games with his Pokémon.

And yet, she could not get enough of him. She had spent all day with him for days on end and she still felt like they had not spent enough time together. She could think of nothing but him. She daydreamed of escaping with him for an afternoon to have a picnic all on their own, or to wander around town, perhaps stopping in the park to sit on a bench and watch the clouds.

At night, she dreamed of being even closer to him. She couldn't stand that he was so far away, down the hall and behind closed doors. She dreamed of him being in the bunk above her, or if she even dared to think of it, in the bunk _with_ her. What need would she have for a blanket when she could instead have his arms wrapped around her? The thought of it kept her awake late into the night. She was certain that sharing a tiny bunk bed with her would be more comfortable for him than sleeping alone on the hard old hide-a-bed to which he had been banished. As much as she tried to let it go, the thought was so tantalizing.

So, on the third day, after dinner, she asked Ash if he would like to go find a nice spot to watch the sunset together. He agreed.

While they walked toward the west side of town hand in hand, heading for the low hills of the valley, Serena had never felt so restless. She felt like she was on fire - her entire being, both body and mind. The energy that had been building up inside her was indescribable. She felt as though she might explode from it. The walk to Ash's preferred hill was not a long one, but it tormented her. She wanted nothing but a chance to push him off the road into the first deserted place she could find so that she could kiss him forever.

Ash led her off the road and across a field, heading for the base of one of the many foothills. After a short, easy climb, they found themselves on top of it, higher than any other point in the town. An endless expanse of valleys and open plains stretched out before them. To the south, the sea shimmered like glass. Above the distant horizon, the sun grew fat and orange as it prepared to disappear for the night. Its low rays cast the surrounding valleys in shadow, yet shone upon them with a warm, golden light.

Serena closed her eyes and breathed deeply, basking in it. It was perfect. Everything was perfect.

There was a soft crunch of earth and grass as Ash sat down on the ground next to her.

"What do you think?" he said.

"It's incredible," said Serena.

"I used to come here all the time as a kid," said Ash. "I would sit here and watch the sun go down, and then I would lay back and watch the stars come out."

"Is that what you want to do now?"

Serena wasn't sure what answer she wanted to hear.

"Definitely," said Ash. "As long as that sounds good to you."

"It sounds wonderful," said Serena.

It wasn't what she really wanted to do, but she bit her tongue. This would have to do, for now.

She sat down next to him. Once she was on the ground, she closed the gap between them and sat there in contact with him, leaning into his shoulder. She found his hand and held onto it with both of hers, resting it in her lap.

Minutes passed in peaceful silence. The sun grew closer and closer to the horizon.

"I can't believe you got to do this all the time," said Serena. "You were a really lucky kid."

"Well, not _all_ the time," said Ash. "My mom didn't like it when I was out late by myself. I got in trouble a lot."

"Good thing you're not out by yourself right now, then," said Serena.

"Ha, yeah," said Ash. "I came up here with Gary a few times, and we pretended to be Pokémon trainers battling on top of a mountain. It was really fun."

Serena nuzzled against his arm. She was barely listening.

"Is it fun being here with me?" she asked.

"Yeah, it is," said Ash. "This is, uh, _very_ different from all those times."

"I would hope so," said Serena. "I bet Gary never did _this."_

Serena punctuated her sentence by leaning in and kissing Ash on the cheek, right below his jawline. It was close to his neck, and it was intentional.

Ash laughed.

"No, he never did," he said.

"He probably never did this, either."

Serena let herself flop backward, landing on her side. She pulled on Ash's arm with all her weight, urging him to join her.

"What are you doing?" said Ash.

"Come here."

Ash started to lean back. Before he could get all the way down, Serena met him halfway, her lips on his.

She felt the soft _thud_ as he fell to the ground next to her. She did not see it. Her eyes were closed. She was determined never to wake up from this dream.

Serena looped her arms around the back of Ash's neck. She pressed her body flat against his, both of them touching front to front. She needed more contact with him. It was impossible to get enough. She felt as though she could have melted into him and it still would not have been enough.

She kissed him with wild abandon. It was becoming more natural all the time. Their first kisses, as much as she enjoyed them, had been stiff and full of anxiety. Now, they came like rolling waves, a motion so gentle yet so powerful, washing over them and washing away everything around them. The longer it continued, the less aware Serena was of the itchiness of the grass against her legs or the scent of dirt.

The only thing she was aware of was Ash. The way he kissed her back, it was so obvious that he had no idea what he was doing. He was following her lead. It was a side of him she never could have experienced any other way. That he would let her see this, that he would let her take charge in their most intimate moment, made her heart ache for him. With every breath, with every motion of his hands as they ran up and down her back, Serena's heart jumped.

She had no idea how much time passed. She assumed she had missed the sunset, and she did not care at all. She was not stopping, not even when her lips began to feel sore. She pulled away from him and instead planted kisses all over his cheeks, around his ears, down his neck, and toward his collarbone. She was lost in him, intoxicated by him. His scent, becoming more familiar by the day, made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end whenever she caught a hint of it. The taste of his skin made her want to bite him, to nibble his neck, his ear, his collarbone, anywhere she could find. And all the while, his hands caressed her back, pressing her against him.

It still was not enough. Kissing him all over and burying her fingers in his hair was not enough. She needed more, but she had no idea what to do. Her mind teased her with so many thoughts, so many things she would love to do, but none of them were reasonable. It was too soon. It was too much.

For a split-second, Ash's hands deviated from their steady path. He went just an inch lower, and a fingertip grazed against a small patch of exposed skin on Serena's back. The touch made her jump in surprise, which in her current position took the form of pressing herself against him even harder.

She was certain the touch was unintentional, a mere accident after repeating the same motion blindly for minutes on end.

She had never enjoyed anything more in her life.

She grabbed Ash's hand before realizing what she was doing. Once she had hold of it, she froze for a moment. She had no idea where she intended to put it. She wanted it everywhere.

The contrast of the feeling of Ash's hand on top of her shirt and the feeling of his hand against the bare skin of her back gave her an idea. There was a way to compromise. She was wearing two shirts.

She found the bottom seam of her baggy floral shirt and guided Ash's hand underneath it. She pressed his hand against the thin, taut fabric of her undershirt. It was such a small difference, but such a tremendous one at the same time. Now, Ash's hand was somewhere it wasn't supposed to be.

It was the greatest thing Serena had ever felt.

The warmth of Ash's hand easily pierced through the single layer of cloth that now separated the two. He ran his hand up and down her back again. It was so different. He felt so much closer, and yet she wanted him closer still.

His hand stopped. Serena felt Ash freeze as his hand ran across the clasp of her bra. She felt the realization of what he had touched ripple through his body. He instantly became tense.

Serena's eyes shot open, and so did his.

"Sorry!" he whispered.

It was adorable. Serena held a finger up in front of his lips and shushed him.

"What are you sorry for?" she said. "That's been there the whole time. You just didn't notice it before."

Ash pulled his hand out from under her baggy shirt.

"I didn't mean to-"

Serena shushed him again.

"I never said I didn't want you to touch me there," she said.

"I-"

Whatever Ash was trying to say, Serena silenced him as she kissed him again. Ash returned his hands to her back, on top of her outer shirt. That was fine, Serena decided. There was no sense in taking it too fast.

Except she wanted to take it fast. She still wanted more. She _needed_ more.

It started as trying to cuddle up closer to him. She shifted her leg, laying it on top of his. It was harmless enough at first, but a few seconds later, she wrapped her leg around his and used the leverage to pull herself even closer. She wasn't satisfied by merely being next to him anymore.

She did not know how to describe what happened. It was a weird tangle of limbs and hair and clothes, plus a lot of assistance from gravity. It was almost like they fell into it.

She ended up on top of him, straddling his waist.

Her heart thundered. Her face burned red. Her breaths were heavy. With her hands on Ash's chest, she stared into his eyes.

He looked dazed. He lay there beneath her, hands on her hips, motionless aside from his breaths. He was like a mirror image of her.

He was clearly overwhelmed. This was all too much, too soon.

Serena saw herself in his eyes, and she froze.

 _You can't just throw yourself at him blindly._

That was precisely what she was doing, and she knew it.

 _Don't give yourself to someone who won't give you anything in return._

Serena didn't move. Neither did Ash.

What _was_ this? Serena couldn't understand it. She had never dreamed of getting so physical so soon. She had no idea where the desire came from, but somehow, it felt irresistible.

She was on top of him. There was so little separating them. Ash wasn't taking anything. He wasn't giving anything, either. He was completely still.

At last, he spoke.

"We missed the sunset," he said.

Serena's awareness of their surroundings came rushing back to her. She loosened her grip on him. Ash's hat lay a few feet away, discarded. His hair was a disaster. His clothes were awkwardly twisted around his body from spending so long rolling on the ground. Serena had no doubt she looked the same.

It was dusk now. A great calm had fallen over the area. Back the way they came, a handful of lights in distant windows dotted the night. The brightest of the stars were visible above.

"We'll miss the sun _rise_ if we keep this up," said Serena.

Her own words hit her like a slap to face. She felt dirty all over, and not from rolling in the dirt. She realized how exposed she was. She had Ash _between her legs._ She pushed against the ground with her knees, taking her weight off of him, trying not to touch him.

She removed herself from him. She rose to her knees, facing away from him. She busied herself with dusting herself off.

She couldn't believe how much she had lost herself in him. She had lost control. Intoxicated barely even began to describe how she had felt about him in that moment. It was beyond desire, beyond want. It was a _need._

She knew what it was, and she was afraid.


	4. Welcome to the Machine

Chapter Four – Welcome to the Machine

The first thing Serena did when she and Ash returned home was lock herself in the bathroom and take a long, cold shower. By the time she turned off the water, she was shivering. She continued to shiver as she changed into her pajamas and buried herself beneath the covers of Ash's bed. She shivered herself to sleep.

When morning came, for a few blissful moments she did not remember the previous night. Then, a wisp of a memory crossed her mind, and her heart throbbed.

She stood in front of the window and stared. The peaceful, idyllic scenery outside was a mockery of a backdrop for her life, an ironic counterpoint to what was going on inside her head. It was another perfect day in Pallet Town, and everything was wrong.

She kept it to herself as she dug into another massive, delicious breakfast made by Delia. The more she thought about the night before, the less obvious it became who she could talk to about it. Ash was out of the question, and for more reasons than having his mouth crammed full of food. There was no way he would be able to help her. He was part of the problem.

What other option did she have, though? Delia was out of the question, for obvious reasons. The same was true for her own mother. Clemont? He wouldn't know what to tell her. As it was, he was already in over his head with Korrina. What about Korrina, maybe? No, they weren't close enough to talk about something so personal. That, and Serena had a suspicion that Korrina would fail to see the problem since she was so much more forward. Bonnie? She was too young.

Of course, there was one person whose advice she wanted more than any other. Her heart twitched at the thought. She couldn't do it. There was no way she could talk to Aria about this. It would be an even bigger slap in her face than begging for money. She already had withheld the truth that she wanted the money so she could reunite with Ash. How could she ever ask Aria for advice with her relationship with him?

There was no choice but to try to talk to Ash about it. As the two of them walked hand-in-hand to Professor Oak's lab for another day on the ranch, Serena resolved to herself that she would speak to him about her feelings about last night before the end of the day. It was the right thing to do. She knew it.

Her endless train of thought was derailed when they arrived at the lab. As soon as they entered the door, Tracey informed them that Professor Oak wanted to speak with them in his office.

Tracey led them to the office and knocked on the door. While they waited, Serena dreaded why they were summoned here. She envisioned Professor Oak giving them an earful for making out so much on his property. When the door opened, though, Professor Oak looked as jovial as ever.

"Ah, Ash! Serena! Please, come in. Thank you, Tracey," he said.

Tracey returned to the front desk, and Professor Oak welcomed Ash and Serena inside.

"Please, have a seat. Make yourselves comfortable," he said, closing the door behind them. He gestured to two squashy armchairs in front of his desk.

Ash sat in one, and Serena sat in the other. She sank so deep into the chair that it reminded her of Muk, as if it were going to swallow her whole.

Professor Oak sat in his own chair on the opposite side of the desk. He leaned forward to face them, his arms resting on top of it.

"So, it certainly seems like you two have been having a grand time here for the past few days," said Professor Oak.

Serena hoped that didn't mean what she feared it meant.

"Yeah, you could say that!" Ash said, laughing as he scratched the back of his neck.

"I must say, I've never seen all your Pokémon so full of energy, and that's saying something," said Professor Oak. "Plus, getting a chance to study the Kalos Pokémon you two brought with you has been a fascinating experience. Especially your Greninja, Ash. Truly, a remarkable Pokémon."

"Yeah, he really is," said Ash.

"Indeed, it is clear to many researchers that the things you have achieved with Greninja are extraordinary in the literal sense. That is, beyond ordinary. Unusual."

Serena had a sense that she knew where this was headed.

"Well, yeah," said Ash. He nodded like it was obvious.

"I spoke to my cousin Samson the other day. He is a researcher studying Pokémon in the Alola region. When I told him about you and your Greninja, he expressed great interest. He told me he has a colleague who studies Pokémon moves, and that he had no doubt this colleague would be interested in meeting you."

Ash was doing a poor job of containing the grin on his face.

"I've been in touch with Samson again since then," said Professor Oak. "He put me in contact with Professor Kukui, his move-studying colleague. I told Kukui that I would be more than happy to encourage you to pay him a visit if it interested you. He, in turn, offered to provide you with airfare and with accommodations at his laboratory throughout your stay, should you decide to go."

Ash's grin grew wider by the moment, but Serena wasn't smiling. Her mind raced.

Another invitation out of nowhere, this time to a place halfway around the world. Another offering of free accommodations, this time without any need for it. No one else was aware of her fortune, though. In three days in Pallet Town, it had never come up. Ash, nor anyone else, ever questioned how she made it there.

Now, thanks to her silence, she would be imposing on someone yet again, taking from them when she had nothing to give in return.

That was, if she was even welcome. She spoke.

"Professor?" she said.

"Yes?"

"Does this include _me_ going with Ash?"

"Indeed, it does, as long as you are willing," said Professor Oak. "I made it clear that Ash had a rather _close_ friend without whom he was unlikely to agree to go."

Serena forced a smile onto her lips, but her heart twitched yet again. She was nothing more than part of a package deal, it seemed. She was an accessory bundled along with what the Alolan professor really wanted.

She shook her head. It was not what she meant to do.

"Is there a problem?" said Professor Oak.

"Oh! No, not at all!" said Serena. She shook her head harder. Ash gave her an odd look. She hid her eyes from him.

"Are you sure?" said Ash.

Serena's heart twitched yet again. Did Ash notice her reticence? Did he care enough to put aside his own desires in favor of her unfounded fears? She couldn't ask such a thing of him. She couldn't do that to anybody.

"I was just trying to think of a reason to say no to the offer," said Serena. "I couldn't think of one."

It was fine, she decided. It was all fine. What did it matter where they went, and when? They had all the time in the world. The world was their playground now. The only thing that mattered was that wherever they went, they went together.

Forget secrets. Forget impositions, forget invitations, forget expectations. No matter what, they had each other. That was enough.

She hoped.

"Now, there's no need for you two to make your decision right this minute," said Professor Oak. "As long as you get back to me in a few days, it's no trouble at all."

Serena looked Ash in the eye. There would be no waiting. She already knew his answer.

* * *

A flurry of activity unfolded. There were so many preparations to make, and Serena found herself in the unfamiliar position of not needing to make any of them. It was like she was standing still in the middle of a hurricane.

Through a convoluted series of phone calls, Professor Oak made arrangements with Professor Kukui to send them to Alola on a flight the very next day, and he made further arrangements with his cousin to pick them up from the airport.

Delia busied herself with preparing a new set of traveling clothes for Ash. Serena watched in awe as she transformed some scraps of fabric into a complete outfit in the course of an afternoon. Delia was a magician with a sewing machine. Serena decided she would have to get some tips from her one day.

Ash's new clothes looked like they took some pointers from Serena's. Everything was loose, baggy, and designed to be cool. His shirt was slightly oversized such that it would blow in the wind, lined with blue and white stripes. His pants were almost shorts, the legs coming to a stop below his kneecaps. His hat, bag, and shoes were all accented in black, blue, and white. The entire outfit made it look like there was a gentle breeze blowing on him at all times.

Serena could only shrug. It was like she hit the jackpot with selecting her new outfit. She wasn't even preparing for anything specific, and it just so happened to be perfect for where they were headed. It made her wonder if luck was on her side for once and not merely teasing her.

Delia's weepy goodbye, complete with a reminder for Ash to change his underwear every day, was awkward beyond belief, in particular when she hugged Serena and told her to take care of her little boy. However, Serena did not find it nearly as excruciating as the goodbye which followed.

She knew it was coming. As she and Ash walked to the lab one last time, her hands went cold. A feeling of dread settled in the pit of her stomach like an ice cube. It was the ugly, unspoken truth behind everything she had experienced here, the inferred injustice which she knew had happened several times and was certain to happen again.

They went out into the paddock behind the lab. Right away, she knew all of Ash's Pokémon could sense it. There was a change in their body language, perhaps brought about by his change of clothing, or perhaps because they had seen him give the same speech enough times that they knew it by heart.

Dejected before he said a single word, all his Pokémon gathered around. Pikachu stood among them, looking embarrassed beyond words, his cheeks even redder than usual.

Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon all broke away from the pack and approached Serena, confused as to what was happening. At least, Pancham and Sylveon were. Braixen did not seem to be. She knew.

Either way, Serena was not going to let them watch. She returned all of them to their balls. Then, after a painful silence, Ash spoke.

He sounded feeble. It was obvious that his words were hollow even to him, but he said them nonetheless, staring at his feet like a man condemned to walk the plank. Serena wanted to look away, but she was right next to Ash, too close not to watch. She couldn't even bear to hear it, but there was nothing she could do.

Ash explained to his Pokémon that once again, he was leaving on a new adventure with Pikachu. What caused an uproar, though, was that Pikachu would not be the only Pokémon he took with him. Greninja was coming, too.

Protests erupted. It appeared to be unprecedented that a Pokémon other than Pikachu got to join Ash on a new journey. Greninja looked like he wanted to vanish. The remainder of his Kalos team was shocked beyond words. Some of Ash's older Pokémon walked away, among them Bayleef, who gave Serena a bitter glare before leaving. Others simply stood and stared. Bulbasaur struggled to maintain decorum.

Ash went on to explain the situation in greater detail, saying there was a faraway professor who wanted to meet Greninja, and that he was going to come back once they were done working with him. The damage was already done, though. The group hug they all shared was an empty gesture.

Serena knew that every single one of Ash's Pokémon, from the most anonymous to the most distinguished, felt as though they had been forgotten. Or, even worse, as though they had been thrown away, left behind forever.

As they left, Serena clutched her three Poké Balls inside her bag. No matter what, she was never leaving any of them behind.

* * *

Serena found her return trip to Viridian City much more enjoyable than her trip from Viridian City. She was eager to forget the awkwardness that unfolded at the lab, and so was Ash. Though their long walk began in silence, by the time Pallet Town was out of sight, they were chatting like old times. It was all too easy to pretend nothing was different, to fall back on old habits. It felt so good. It felt fun. It felt right.

After a day-long journey and a night at the Pokémon Center, Serena found that what she enjoyed most of all was being in an airport with Ash and not having to say goodbye to him. As awful as the prospect of a twenty-four-hour flight was, knowing that she would get to spend it with Ash made her feel almost giddy.

It was just the two of them. They were going to a tropical paradise together. How could she not be all smiles? She held Ash's hand the entire time while they waited at the gate. This time, there was no final boarding call, nor irritated attendant, nor oblivious onlookers. They were together, as they were meant to be. This was their future, and it was glorious.

When they boarded the plane, Serena found it was not as cramped as she had expected. If anything, it was the most comfortable she had ever been on an airplane. Unlike every other flight she had ever experienced, she and Ash were able to share the space rather than huddle by themselves. Serena put up the armrest between their seats and found herself with more space than she ever could have imagined. They cuddled up together for hours on end, Pikachu sleeping either in Ash's lap or hers. When it got dark, she rested her head against Ash's shoulder and fell asleep. She spent the entire night that way.

When she woke up, she found that Ash had done much the same thing. He was sound asleep with his head resting against hers.

A few times, when she felt like nobody was looking, she kissed him.

Hours and hours later, long after the plane had ceased to be comfortable even with their circumstances, the endless ocean outside became dotted with a few distant patches of land.

Then, they landed on one of them.

Exiting the plane felt as though it took forever. Everyone, the two of them included, was moving at half speed, sore and stiff as a board from being crammed inside for so long. After far too long, they got their turn to stand up and then join the masses in shambling up the aisle and then down the jetway.

When they passed through the gate, Serena found herself in a wonderland.

The airport terminal was made of glass from ceiling to floor. Not a single light fixture was on, yet it was the brightest place she had ever seen. The sky was visible above, with only a few wispy clouds amidst a sea of perfect blue. All around, colorful flowers and exotic plants decorated every available surface.

Craning their necks to see everything, they meandered their way toward the terminal exit. A woman wearing a grass skirt and a circlet of flowers around her neck approached them.

"Alola!" she said. "It looks like it's your first time here."

It took a moment before Serena realized she was being addressed. She blinked and noticed that several other people dressed like the woman were all standing behind a kiosk with a large sign which read _Alola! Welcome to Paradise!_

"Um, hello?" said Serena.

Ash scratched his neck.

"Yeah, it is our first time here. How'd ya know?"

The woman smiled.

"It's always obvious when people don't know how we say hello here!" she said.

Serena's eyes widened. Had she committed some sort of terrible faux pas? It had only been a few minutes and she was already in violation of local customs.

"You have a different way of saying hi?" said Ash.

"We do!" said the woman. "We say _Alola!"_

As she said it, she swept her hands in a wide, semicircular arc. It reminded Serena of a rainbow.

Right away, Ash mimicked the gesture. Less eager, Serena tried it, too. She felt silly, so clearly out of place.

"Looks like you've already got the hang of it!" the woman said to Ash. "We give everyone a big _Alola_ both to say hello and goodbye."

"Cool!" said Ash. "Easy to remember, huh?"

Serena bit her lip. She nodded.

"Here," the woman said. "Take these!"

She pulled two necklaces made of flowers from a box and handed one to both Serena and Ash. Ash did not hesitate to slip his over his neck. Serena simply stared at hers. No matter how pretty they were, the flowers were fake, made of cheap plastic.

"Now you've really been welcomed!" the woman said. "Enjoy your stay! Alola!"

As they began to walk away, Ash waved his arms in a huge circle and shouted.

 _"Alola!"_

Serena cringed. All around, heads turned to stare at them. She kept her head down, grabbed him by the wrist, and dragged him onward.

"Oh man, I'm so pumped," he said. "What about you, Pikachu?"

Pikachu agreed. Serena did not. It was hard to be excited when Ash kept loudly saying _Alola!_ to random strangers as they passed them in the terminal. She wasn't sure what to say, though. How could she tell him he was embarrassing her when she had been so vigilant for any sign of him being embarrassed by her? It wasn't fair to him. He was excited. He was being Ash.

And when she took a quick break in the restroom to recollect herself, she took the circlet of flowers and fashioned it into a bracelet around her wrist. It gave her time to think. She could not help but admit that this was all pretty funny. It was day one, and Ash was already convinced he was a local. When she met him in the hallway again, he was doing a more enthusiastic job of being a greeter than any of the people being paid to do it.

They continued their walk toward the exit. The terminal was huge. After a few more minutes of saying _Alola!_ to passerby, Ash seemed to wear the word out and lost interest in it. Meanwhile, Serena found a new concern.

She squinted up at the glass ceiling. She felt the sun's rays beaming through it, beating against her face. To her, it felt oppressive. No one else seemed to mind, though, not even Ash. That was when a strange realization occurred to her. She was much, much paler than everyone else around.

She pulled Ash into a souvenir shop near the end of the concourse.

"What are you doing?" said Ash. "The signs say we're almost at the exit."

"I need a hat!" said Serena. "I can't believe I forgot to get one before now."

Ash looked upward as if trying to look at his own forehead. He lifted his own hat off of his head, then dropped it down on top of Serena's head. Slightly oversized, it sat lopsided atop her ruffled hair.

Serena folded her arms in mock frustration, but a smile was on her face.

"Now _you_ need a hat," she said.

"Awesome! It looks like they have a bunch of them in here," said Ash. He pointed toward the back wall, which was occupied by a large rack of hats. He walked toward it.

Serena followed behind him, but she was in no hurry. She caught sight of herself in a mirror.

Ash's hat was ridiculous on her. It was a horrific match with her outfit. It was all the wrong colors, and it was much too large. Despite this, she smiled at what she saw. It reminded her so much of the time she put on Ash's clothes and pretended to be him.

She lifted the hat from her head and smoothed her hair back down. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ash in front of the hat rack, stacking hat after hat on top of his head. Pikachu stood next to him, peering up at the monstrosity he was creating, looking concerned about the structural integrity of the thing.

Serena laughed, and she approached them.

"What do you think?" said Ash, turning to look at her.

Serena counted no less than seven mismatched hats in all colors and styles in a precarious pile atop his head. She reached up and stood on the tips of her toes, taking away the topmost one.

"Don't get us kicked out of here," she said. "I really need a hat!"

She stuck her tongue out at him from the corner of her mouth, then placed the hat she took from him on top of her head.

She looked in the nearest mirror. It was an awful match. She stuffed it back in its place on the rack.

Ash reached blindly above the top of his head, trying to deconstruct his tower of hats.

"Why do you need a hat, anyway?" he asked.

"Because I'm as pale as a sheet, and the sun here is going to fry me to a crisp if I don't protect myself," said Serena.

Ash shrugged.

"Who cares about a little sunburn?" he said. "It's no big deal."

"I care," said Serena. "You will, too, when my face starts peeling off after three days here."

Ash grimaced.

"I'm getting a hat," Serena said, definitively.

While Ash worked on placing all his hats back where they belonged, Serena continued her search. Her results were discouraging. Nothing felt right on her. Every hat she tried was either too sporty, or too kitschy, or too _something._ Or not enough something. Nothing worked.

But then, as she was about to give up hope, she found something intriguing. It was a straw hat, with a wide brim and a red ribbon tied around the center, the loose ends of the ribbon trailing in the air behind it.

She put it on. It fit.

She found Ash and walked up to him, her hands behind her back.

"Does this remind you of anything?" she said. She watched the gears turn inside Ash's head for a moment, and then his eyes lit up with recognition.

"The girl in the straw hat," he said.

The two of them watched each other for a moment, smiling in silence.

Serena knew how sappy it was going to sound, but she said it anyway.

"I'm _your_ girl in the straw hat."

She leaned in and gave Ash a peck on the cheek, then backed away. The look in Ash's eyes was all she needed to see.

"I'm buying it!" she said.

A few minutes later, Serena left the shop with the straw hat on her head. She could not have been more pleased.

The two of them headed into the baggage claim area. It occurred to Serena that they were supposed to be meeting a person who neither of them had ever met. She hoped that Samson Oak thought to bring a sign.

Before she had any time to worry about it, Ash pointed to a man standing near one of the exit doors with his hands in his pockets.

"That's gotta be him!" said Ash.

Serena looked at the man, and her mouth dropped open. The family resemblance was more than uncanny. It was absurd. He and Professor Oak had to be more closely related than mere cousins. The man looked like Professor Oak's over-tanned, long-haired, long-lost identical twin.

When Ash ran up to him and said _Alola!_ at an inappropriate volume, the man laughed. His voice, his mannerisms, and even his expressions were exactly the same as Professor Oak's. It was surreal.

* * *

Serena's head swam with disbelief the entire time they were in Samson Oak's presence. She couldn't decide what bothered her so much about it. The outrageous family resemblance shared by the Nurse Joys and Officer Jennies of the world had never seemed this odd. Maybe it was because she knew Professor Oak a bit more personally? She figured that had to be it. Regardless, she remained very quiet for their entire drive from the airport to Professor Kukui's lab.

However, part of Serena's silence came from her newfound appreciation for seatbelts. Samson's car was one in which a roof and doors were optional. Serena spent the entire ride in the back seat clutching her hat with one hand and her seatbelt with the other, convinced she was going to roll out of the car at every twist and turn of the winding coastal road.

The road they traveled ran parallel to the coast. As they drove away from the city, their surroundings became greener. Then, they slowed down as the paved road ended altogether. A signpost marked the unpaved road ahead of them as Route 1.

A few minutes later, they came to a stop in front of an unassuming building that stood a short distance from the shore. It looked like it had seen better days. It was covered in makeshift patches and jury-rigged repairs. Serena doubted that it was their destination, but Samson confirmed it.

"It may not look like impressive, but this is it," said Samson. He stepped out of the car.

Serena was eager to do the same. She released her death grip on her hat and seatbelt and scrambled to get her feet on solid ground again. Before she could take in her surroundings, a voice called to them.

"Hey there, Samson! You got them here in one piece, yeah?"

A man stood on the front porch of the building, a man like none Serena had ever seen. He was tall, dark, and handsome, but most of all, he was bizarre. He wore a nonsensical collection of garments, among them a pair of safety glasses, a hat with a rainbow logo, a pair of training sweats with the drawstring cinched in the front, green rubber sandals, and a massive white lab coat.

But no shirt.

"Naturally," Samson replied. "I'm glad to see your lab is still in one piece!"

Samson and the man on the porch shared a laugh. Serena and Ash shared a confused glance. Was this the professor?

"Ash, Serena, I'd like you to meet Professor Kukui," said Samson.

Yes, yes it was. Serena's jaw dropped.

"Alola!" said Professor Kukui. He stepped off the porch and into the sunlight, walking toward them.

"Alola!" said Ash.

Not wanting to risk being impolite, Serena forced herself to say it, too.

"Alola!" she said. She felt silly saying it. Ash made it sound so natural. She did not.

"You're Ash, I'm sure of it!" Professor Kukui said as he approached Ash. "What's up, cousin?"

Professor Kukui shook Ash's hand, then turned to Serena.

"And you're Serena, yeah?"

Face to face with him, Serena was paralyzed. She had no idea what to make of him. It took her a few seconds to realize he was offering her a handshake. When she came to her senses, she quickly accepted.

"Right on," said Professor Kukui. "You guys want to head inside, I bet. You came a really long way to get here, didn't you?"

"Yeah, from Kanto!"

"Woo! That's about as far away as you can get," said Professor Kukui. "Come on in and I'll show you the ropes."

"I'll let you take them from here," said Samson. "It's time for me to get going. Alola, you two!"

"Alola!" Ash called, waving as Samson got back in his car and drove away.

Serena was not as enthusiastic about saying goodbye. It was in part because Samson had spoken maybe ten total words to her, but it was also because of how distracted she was by their strange host.

Professor Kukui held the front door open for them.

"So, I'll show you around, yeah?" he said. "It's not much, but it's home."

While Ash lingered on the front steps, waving to Samson for longer than was necessary, Serena passed him and stepped through the door first.

The interior was in better condition than the exterior, for the most part. It looked more like a house than a laboratory. Were it not for the aquarium which spanned from ceiling to floor, Serena would not have believed it to be a lab at all. There was a small kitchen, with a living room adjacent to it. A ladder led from the common area up to a loft, which towered over everything else. Beneath the loft were a few rooms with closed doors. A staircase near the front door led to a lower level.

It was well-organized and well-kept, not including several large holes in the drywall and an obvious patch in the roof.

Ash stepped inside, and Professor Kukui closed the door behind him.

"Let's get you two settled in," he said. "This way!"

He led the way deeper into the building. Following him, Serena's eyes were fixed on Professor Kukui. His appearance from behind was as much of an enigma as from the front. The way he carried himself was more dignified than he looked. There was something powerful about the way he walked. It was so poised, yet so casual at the same time. Precise and controlled, yet somehow free and easy.

Serena shook her head. She had to let it go.

Professor Kukui stopped in front of the ladder which led to the loft.

"We've only got a couple of rooms here," he said. "I stay in the one all the way on the end. The bathroom is the middle one, and the guest bedroom is this one here."

He knocked his knuckles against the wall. Then, he pointed up above his shoulder with his thumb.

"My assistant stays up there, in the loft," he said. "Serena, I've put an extra cot up there for you. You'll be rooming with her."

A pang of disappointment shot through Serena's stomach. She felt like a fool for it. Of course she and Ash weren't going to be allowed to share a room. She wondered why she expected anything different.

"Ash, you're in the guest bedroom."

Professor Kukui led them to the door of the first room. He turned the knob and opened it.

"Not much, but at least it's a place to lay your head, yeah?"

When Serena saw it, her disappointment disappeared. The guest bedroom was little more than a closet with a cot and a nightstand in it. One entire side of the room was filled with boxes from floor to ceiling. Given the state of the rest of the building, Serena wondered if the boxes were concealing yet another hole in the wall. The patches of dust all around made her suspect that the room literally was a closet until very recently.

There was no way the loft could be any worse, even sharing it with someone else. At the very least, she knew someone would have tidied it up in recent memory, and there were no walls which could have holes in them.

"So yeah, kick off your shoes, put your stuff down, and relax!" said Professor Kukui. "I'll rustle up some grub later on. Til then, I'll be downstairs in the lab. Feel free to check it out if you want!"

Professor Kukui headed down the stairs, Ash went into his room, and Serena returned to the common area. She mounted the ladder and climbed up to the loft.

As she expected, whoever lived up there was a better housekeeper than the professor. In addition to the lack of holes in structural surfaces, the loft was spotless. There was a sofa bed with a crisply-folded blanket and a lightly fluffed pillow on top of it. The papers on the dresser were organized in tidy stacks. The objects on the desk were all in a particular place. There was no clutter, nor a trace of dust anywhere.

Serena spent a minute examining the bookshelf and confirmed what she suspected. The books were alphabetized.

She slipped her bag off her shoulder and set it down on top of her cot. It was butted up against the railing, overlooking the common area. Next to her cot was a small, squashy object on the floor which she recognized as a Pokémon bed. It looked like it was new, as though it had never been used.

In contrast, a Clefairy doll sat on top of the bookshelf. It had seen much better days. The pink fabric was covered in discolored splotches, and the whites of the eyes were stained a faint shade of gray. Some of the limbs looked like they had been reattached, possibly more than once.

The object that captured Serena's interest the most, though, was on top of the desk. It was a journal, neatly positioned right in the center, with nothing else touching it or even near it. It was thick, and much like the Clefairy doll, it was well-worn.

There was a lock on the front cover. Though the metal of the lock's casing was well worn, bearing scratches from what she assumed were years of sliding the key in and out of it, it looked sturdy.

For a moment, Serena wondered whether or not the journal was locked. She thought better of attempting to find out. It was in such a particular place that it felt wrong to even think of moving it.

She folded her arms and gave the loft another good look. She tilted her head while she thought. What kind of person lived up here? What kind of person would both organize their life like this, yet also agree not only to work for, but to live with Professor Kukui? She couldn't imagine it.

She shrugged to herself and sat down on the edge of her cot. She slipped off her shoes and slid them underneath with her bag. The cot was lumpy, but after traveling so far, its rough comfort beckoned her. From where she sat, she examined the floor below. The lab was a strange but charming place.

A window on the lower floor was visible. Outside, a palm tree swayed in the breeze. The gentle ocean waves rolled over the white sands. A flock of Wingull pecked around on the shore.

Serena leaned back and pulled her legs up onto the cot. She allowed her body to sink into the rough mattress, and she shut her eyes. She sighed.

In a matter of minutes, jet lag pulled her into the clutches of sleep. The last sensation she was aware of was a faint buzzing sound.

* * *

Serena slept like a brick.

When she awoke, she struggled to process all the sensations she experienced. There were too many at once. At first, she had no idea where she was, nor when it was. It was bright. Very bright. Light shone through every window. There was a voice. Someone was speaking to her. Someone was touching her, shaking her awake.

She blinked the sleep from her eyes and realized that Ash was leaning over her, jostling her shoulder.

"Ash?" she said.

"Hey there, sleepyhead!" said Ash. "You were sound asleep, huh? That took a while."

Serena blinked again as she stared at Ash, squinting in the bright light. She tried to sit up, but only made it halfway before she groaned and sank back down onto the mattress.

She yawned. She received a buzzing sound as a response. She looked up. Perched on the railing, looming over her was a tiny Pokémon that looked like someone had crossed a Fletchling with a Scatterbug.

"Oh!" said Serena. "Hello there."

The tiny Pokémon chirped at her and buzzed its wings. It was adorable.

"What kind of Pokémon are you?" said Serena.

"That's Cutiefly," said Ash. Serena back at him. "Professor Kukui told me last night that it lives here at the lab."

"Last night?" said Serena. "What time is it? How long was I asleep?"

"Since we got here yesterday."

Serena's eyes shot open.

"I thought I just took a nap!"

"Nope, you were out cold all night," said Ash. He scratched the back of his head. "I, uh, came up here to say goodnight, but you were so asleep that I didn't wanna wake you up."

Serena's face fell.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I had no idea. I wish you had woken me up, though. I would have loved to share a goodnight kiss."

Ash looked away.

"I didn't know what to do," he said. "I just kissed you on the cheek and left."

Serena's lower lip jutted out.

 _"Ash."_

"Sorry if that was weird!"

"Come here."

Serena reached out from under the covers and took hold of Ash's arm. She pulled him in close, then closed her eyes.

For a moment, she wondered if maybe she should brush her teeth first, but she decided it would ruin the moment if she interrupted it. So, ignoring Cutiefly's excited buzzing behind her, she kissed him.

They parted, and Serena opened her eyes. She giggled when she saw Ash's face. That dumb, adorable, breathless face, with those big brown eyes.

"Good morning," she whispered to him.

Ash gave her an awkward look.

"Uh, good _afternoon,"_ he said.

"Afternoon?" said Serena. She made another attempt to sit upright. This time, she succeeded.

Ash rubbed his nose.

"Yeah, you slept all morning," he said.

Serena looked around. It was no wonder it was so bright. It was the middle of the day. An odd blend of sweet and savory smells wafted up from the kitchen to greet her. She turned her head toward the source and saw Professor Kukui standing in front of the stove, stirring a pot.

He still was not wearing a shirt.

"Professor Kukui is making lunch," said Ash.

"What is he cooking?"

"I think it's the same thing he made for breakfast," said Ash. He looked puzzled. "He called it an Alolan Plate."

"I've never heard of it," said Serena.

"Me neither. It was good, though."

Serena had many more questions to ask. What was in an Alolan Plate? Was it normal to have it more than once in a day? If her difficulty with the local greeting was any sign, it seemed like she was having trouble adapting to the local customs. Before she could voice any of the things on her mind, something else occurred to her.

Ash was with her in the loft. As pleasant a surprise as that was, she had expected someone else. There was no sign of anyone else, though, Cutiefly not included. The loft was exactly as it was when she arrived the day before. Either Professor Kukui's mysterious assistant was such a fastidious housekeeper that they kept everything exactly the same way every day, or they had never come up to the loft at all.

Or, even worse, they had come up, seen her up there, and left. Serena was intruding. She was imposing. She hated the thought.

"Where's the professor's assistant?" she said.

"Dunno," said Ash.

"Did you meet them last night?" said Serena. As the words left her mouth, heat rose on her face at the thought of some stranger watching from a few feet away as Ash kissed her goodnight.

"No," said Ash. He shook his head. "Professor Kukui said she was out doing some research on her own."

Serena paused to think, attempting to fit all the information into place. Of course Ash had not met whoever it was last night. She knew him. There was no way he would have come up here and shown such a display of affection if he was going to be watched. He wouldn't have been comfortable with it. He was the bravest person she knew, but he wasn't brave enough to bear his feelings to the world.

Then again, neither was she.

Another thought stuck in her head, though. Ash referred to the mystery assistant as _she._ It made perfect sense. In fact, it was obvious. Of course Professor Kukui's assistant was a girl. That was why she was sharing living quarters with her. Plus, Serena couldn't imagine what kind of guy would keep a room so meticulously arranged, nor keep a journal with a lock on it.

Still, Serena struggled to picture her would-be roommate. She tried to conjure an image in her head of someone who would be so organized. She settled on a rather annoyed librarian, who she imagined adjusting her horn-rimmed glasses and shooting judgmental glances at Professor Kukui while he loafed around like a slob.

Oddly, the imaginary librarian bore a strong resemblance to Aria. Or rather, _Ariana._ It must have been the glasses.

Serena's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't understand why. There was no way Aria was here. Even with all her resources, and all of her reasons to run away, there was no way she was here. It was impossible. She couldn't be Professor Kukui's assistant. For one, Serena remembered the interior of Aria's yacht. It was a mess.

Then again, Aria _was_ a master of disguise. Maybe the neatness was part of the act.

Before her mind went out of control, Ash spoke again, and Serena realized how long she had been staring into space.

"Professor Kukui says we've got big plans tonight," said Ash.

"Oh? What's happening?"

"A festival! We're invited!"

* * *

An Alolan Plate, Serena discovered, was a combination of foods she never would have expected to taste good together, but somehow did. Also, it was very large. Both Ash and Professor Kukui scarfed theirs down with wild abandon, but Serena struggled to finish hers. After the meal, she felt heavy all over, like she could fall asleep again.

She resisted the urge and instead forced herself to step outside. It was a brilliant, cloudless day. Ash held a practice skirmish between Pikachu and Greninja on the beach, with Professor Kukui and an adorable little Pokémon called Rockruff cheering on every move from the sidelines. While Cutiefly continued to buzz around her, all the excitement gave Serena an idea. She went back inside, retrieved her Poké Balls from her bag, and let her Pokémon out on the beach.

Right away, it proved to be a good idea, if only because Cutiefly zoomed directly to Sylveon and engaged her in animated conversation. Pancham was quick to begin roughhousing with Rockruff. Braixen, as ever, stood by and watched Greninja and Pikachu battle.

Left by herself, Serena ducked inside once again. She shut herself in the bathroom and took a long, hot shower. It felt wonderful. She took her time with washing and styling her hair. She even put on a touch of makeup. Not much, but enough that maybe, just maybe, Ash might notice if they got some time alone.

Her heart fluttered at the thought that perhaps if they could get some alone time, this festival might be like a date. Their first _real_ date. It was strange to think of it that way, but it was true. They had not yet gone out together by themselves. Their last day in Monego City didn't count, either. There was too much to figure out that day. Nor did any of their alone time in Pallet Town count. They didn't _go out_. They _hung out._ This had the potential to be different, though.

For the first time since arriving in Alola, it felt like a new beginning.

Late in the afternoon, Professor Kukui said it was time to get going. The festival was in a nearby village called Iki Town, they learned, and it would be a bit of a walk to get there. Rather than force their Pokémon back into their balls, both Serena and Ash let their Pokémon walk with them, enjoying the salty sea air and the spectacular weather.

Professor Kukui led them along an ascending path, parallel to a cliffside. As they walked, the path found its way inland, and the terrain changed from sand and rocks to a wispy grassland, dotted with palm trees. Rockruff ran ahead of everyone else, familiar with the path. To Serena's surprise, Cutiefly followed her. Every so often, the buzzing of wings caught her attention, and she found Cutiefly hovering much closer to her face than she would have liked. Every time, Cutiefly chirped and buzzed away.

After a while, they reached the top of a hill and found themselves in a village with buildings constructed from logs, and roofs made of thatch. It bustled with activity. People dressed in colorful attire milled about, their conversations drowned out by the sounds of music and their faces lost in a sea of unfamiliar sights. Exotic smells hung in the air, the delectable scents of confections Serena never could have imagined.

Professor Kukui guided them through the crowd and led them to the center of the village, where an elevated wooden stage stood. Standing next to the stage, a gigantic man spoke with several people.

When the giant man caught sight of Professor Kukui, he stepped away from his conversation. The two of them embraced.

"Kukui, my boy!" he said, clapping his hand against Professor Kukui's back.

The man's eyes moved, focusing on Ash, then on Serena. He released Professor Kukui and stepped forward toward the two of them.

"And Alola to both of you!" he said.

His voice was deep, and it boomed through the noise of the crowd loud and clear. He wore an unbuttoned yellow shirt over top of the rest of his clothes, with a white sash tied around his massive belly. His long gray hair was drawn up into a wild bun atop his head.

"Alola!" said Ash.

Pikachu echoed the greeting from his place on Ash's shoulder. A moment later, Rockruff barked, wagged his tail, and disappeared into the crowd. He set off a chain reaction. Pancham ran after him first, then Sylveon ran after Pancham. Before Serena knew what was happening, Cutiefly zipped away, Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder, and all their Pokémon were gone.

Pikachu said a few words to Ash, and Ash laughed.

"You all have fun!" he said, waving as Pikachu ran off.

Then, it was just them, Professor Kukui, and the giant man. Serena gulped. It looked like everyone was waiting on her. She had no choice.

"Alola!" she said. She waved her arms in a half circle, like a rainbow. It was so awkward.

"And who do we have here, Kukui?" the man said. "Not from Alola, I bet!"

Serena's cheeks burned red.

"This is Ash and Serena," said Kukui. "They flew in from Kanto yesterday! They're staying with me for a while to help me with my research. They're both talented trainers."

The giant man laughed.

"Dahahaha! If you take in any more wayward youths, you'll have a boarding school on your hands!"

Professor Kukui laughed as well, and he clasped his hand on the giant man's shoulder. Standing next to him, he introduced him.

"Ash, Serena, this is Hala. He's the kahuna of Melemele Island!"

Serena still had no idea what a kahuna was, but what alarmed her more was that this was the first time it occurred to her that the island they were on had to have a name, and she was only now learning it.

 _"Kahuna?"_ said Ash.

Serena was relieved she wasn't the only one with that question.

"The kahunas are powerful trainers who oversee the Island Challenges on each island here in Alola!" said Kukui.

Serena felt a snap of electricity on the back of her neck. She knew it wasn't real, but she felt it just the same. It came from Ash. Before he said anything, before he gave any sign of reaction, she felt his excitement. From a distance, she sensed the spike of adrenaline in his veins.

"Island challenge?" said Ash.

Professor Kukui stuck out his hand and held up four fingers.

"Four islands! Four kahunas! Hala is the kahuna of this island, and trainers here face him as the final part of their challenge. That means he's pretty much the strongest trainer around!"

Ash vibrated with excitement. Paralyzed, the spike of adrenaline Serena sensed shot straight into her heart. Her pupils narrowed. Something was very, very wrong. There were some more words exchanged about trials, captains, and other things Serena couldn't hear. The world around her went quiet. The crowd around her ceased to exist.

Her mind raced, connecting the dots. It was too similar. It couldn't be a coincidence. A free trip to paradise. A powerful trainer met on their first outing.

Serena already had visions of Ash training on the beach late into the night. Soon, he would become nocturnal and refuse to talk to her. She knew it would tear them apart this time. She could see it unfolding in her mind.

Who tricked them this time? Was it Professor Oak? His cousin? Professor Kukui? Who owned the lab? Was it Palermo? Diantha? Who was going to appear out of nowhere and offer her cryptic warnings and advice? It couldn't be Aria, could it? Serena's eyes darted around, expecting some lost soul to come out of the woodwork and pull her away for a series of late night heart-to-hearts and an eventual unrequited declaration of love.

She was not going to let this happen again. She would not allow it. She grabbed Ash's hand with both of hers and interjected herself in the conversation.

"I'm hungry," she said.

Ash stopped mid-sentence and looked at her. Serena felt Professor Kukui's and Hala's eyes on her, as well.

"I'm _really_ hungry," she said. She pulled on Ash's arm, dragging him in the direction of the food stands.

"Oh- okay!" Ash said, startled, but eagerly following her.

There was a pause, and Hala laughed.

"Haha! The girl knows what she wants!"

Whatever else was said was drowned out by the crowd as Serena pulled Ash through it. At first, Ash followed without hesitation, but he began to pull back on her when they passed a food stand.

"Hey! Where are we going?" he said.

"Not there," said Serena. She looked around. She needed somewhere quiet, somewhere calm. She needed anywhere she could talk to him.

She pointed at a gap in the trees.

"There," she said.

"But there's no food there!"

"I know."

"But you said-"

"I _know."_

"What's going on?"

Despite her firm grip, Ash ripped his hand away from her. Serena turned around and saw him staring at her, his eyes begging for an explanation.

"We need to talk," said Serena. "Right now."

Ash's face was blank.

"Okay?" he said.

Serena approached the gap in the trees, and Ash followed. When she stopped, she saw a sign in the distance.

 _Mahalo Trail_

They were standing in the middle of a trailhead. It would have to do. She took a moment to take a deep breath.

"What's up?" Ash asked her.

"Does this remind you of anything?" she asked him in return.

Ash's eyes shifted to her hat.

"Your hat again?" he said.

Serena sighed. That _was_ exactly what she asked him when she tried on her new hat. At least he was trying to listen.

"No, I mean where we are right now, and what we're doing," said Serena.

Ash thought for a moment.

"I dunno," he said. "We've never been here before."

Serena shook her head.

"I mean the _setup_ for all of this," she said. "Can you see how similar it is?"

"To what?"

Serena tried not to sigh again. She didn't want to be the one to say it. She didn't want to say it aloud. That would make it real.

"Monego City," she said.

Ash tilted his head.

"Huh? How?"

"Everything is the same!" said Serena. "We got invited here for free, we're staying in a place on the beach, and you immediately ran into a powerful trainer who I _know_ you want to battle."

Ash scratched his head.

"I _guess_ I see what you mean," he said.

"I'm waiting for someone to come and throw themselves at you and taunt me while they do it, or for someone to come along and tell us that Professor Kukui is actually living some secret double life and we were invited here as part of his master plan or something. It all feels too perfect. It's _so_ similar."

Ash rubbed a finger under his nose, then shrugged.

"I dunno, I think it's all pretty different," he said. "I don't think Professor Oak would trick us, and Professor Kukui seems like a really nice guy."

"Aria seemed completely innocent until she told me what she did."

Ash got quiet.

"Well…" he said.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

Serena pressed her fingertips to her temples and shook her head. She stared at her feet.

 _"No,"_ Serena said again. "This isn't happening again. This isn't what it looks like. It can't be. It just can't. Right?"

She looked up at Ash.

"Right?" she said.

"Uh…"

"Please tell me you see all this, too!"

"I-"

"Don't. No. I don't want to know."

"Huh?"

"Just tell me that everything is okay."

Ash narrowed his eyes. His mouth opened, but he didn't say anything. Serena shook her head vigorously.

"Everything is okay," she said. "No one is trying to trick us. Nothing is going on. This isn't real. I'm just imagining things."

"Serena?"

"But I'm not crazy! I-"

"Serena!"

Ash grabbed her by the shoulder. The look in his eyes froze her in place. He was so concerned, so confused, so Ash.

"What's going on?" said Ash.

He had no idea. There was no way he could. It was like the faces in the crowd back in Lumiose City. It was all in her head, and he didn't have a clue what it was like to be inside it.

Serena bowed her head, hiding behind the brim of her hat. She whispered.

 _"I'm scared."_

Her near-silent words brought a hush over the two of them. In the terrible silence that followed, Serena felt like a castle made of sand, ready to crumble at the slightest touch.

But then, Ash lifted the hat from her head and pulled her into a hug.

"Everything's gonna be okay," he said.

Serena remained frozen for a moment. As she felt the warmth of his body pass into hers from the touch, she relaxed against him. The tension drained from her as she exhaled and leaned her head on his shoulder. She breathed deeply, immersing herself in his scent. He smelled like comfort.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Sorry?" said Ash. "What for?"

"For freaking out."

"You didn't freak out."

"I pulled you away from the professor and the kahuna to do… this."

"It's okay."

Serena lifted her head from his shoulder and met eyes with him.

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

"You didn't do anything wrong."

"I'm still sorry," she said. She shook her head once, paused, then shook it again. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his.

When she ended the kiss and opened her eyes again, Ash looked even more confused.

"You don't have to be sorry," he said.

"I am anyway. You shouldn't have had to deal with this."

"With what?"

"Me freaking out!"

"But you didn't freak out," said Ash. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Why do you keep saying that?"

"Because-"

Serena had so many reasons, but there was only one that mattered.

"Because you deserve better," she said.

The look on Ash's face said so many things, but what it said the loudest was that he couldn't believe her words. Serena covered her eyes and groaned.

"I shouldn't have said that," she said.

"Yeah, because it's not true," said Ash. "None of this stuff is true. No one is planning anything. You're _not_ crazy."

Serena took a deep breath. When she let it out, she uncovered her eyes.

"I know," she said.

She looked around. The last thing she wanted to do was to throw herself back into the crowd. Where they were was peaceful, and she wanted it to stay that way.

She noticed the sign for the trail once again.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" she said.

* * *

Several minutes into their walk, Serena remained ill at ease. Mahalo Trail was beautiful - an easy climb up a winding cliffside path toward a canyon, with a wonderful view of Iki Town and the sea beyond it on the horizon - but something still felt wrong. She didn't understand why. There was nothing wrong. She knew it. Ash reassured her of that, in words and in spirit and even in body. Their whole way up the trail, he never let go of her hand, not even once.

It was a sweet gesture, but by the time they reached a level area at what appeared to be the top of the cliff, Serena felt like her hand was going to turn pruney from bathing in sweat. When they stopped for a short break, Serena was the one to pull her hand away. She wiped it on her skirt while Ash wasn't looking.

The area was lined by rocky walls. Serena leaned against one of them while she caught her breath. Up ahead, the trail disappeared around a bend. Back where they came, the sun approached the sea, soon to disappear for the night.

"How much further do you want to go?" she said. "It looks like this trail goes on a lot longer than I thought."

Ash shrugged.

"You wanna check out this area up ahead and then turn back?" he said.

"Sure."

Serena took one last deep breath, then stood up straight again. She adjusted her hat, gazing at the evening sky. Everything was peaceful.

And then, she heard a voice.

 _"Stop it!"_

She and Ash both looked at each other.

"Did you hear that?" she asked.

For an instant, she expected Ash to say no. Instead, he nodded. He stood still, listening.

It went quiet again. Serena took a step toward him.

"What was that?" she whispered.

"I dunno," said Ash. "I think it was from up ahead."

 _"No!"_

Serena's eyes shot open wide and a pang of fear shot through her heart.

"It was!" said Ash. He broke into a sprint. Serena followed him.

A few seconds later, they entered an open area on an overlook above a deep gorge. A bridge of rope and wood connected their side to the far side.

A girl stood at the foot of the bridge, alone. As they approached, she did not appear to notice, focused on some sort of commotion taking place on the bridge.

As always, Ash was faster. He ran up to the girl first.

"What's wrong?" he said.

The girl gasped and turned around. She was dressed in white, with a gigantic, floppy, wide-brimmed hat atop her head. Long blonde hair framed her frightened face. Her pleading eyes left no doubt that she was the source of the voice they heard.

"You have to help it! Please! Save Nebby!"

Serena caught up with Ash and ran up to the girl. She saw feathers flying up ahead. In the center of the bridge, a small, dark figure cowered as a flock of Spearow pecked at it.

The girl spoke again. Her knees knocked together.

"My legs feel like they might give out…"

Serena looked the girl over again. It was difficult to imagine why she would be in this place. Her outfit was better suited for a tea party than a hiking trail.

Ash stepped past the girl and onto the bridge. It swayed under his weight. Serena sucked in a breath through her teeth and held it. The bridge was old and dilapidated, bereft of maintenance for many years. The ropes were frayed. The boards were crumbling. It was doubtful that it was fit for use by anyone.

Ash took another step. There was a sound of splintering wood. Ash grabbed hold of the ropes on both sides and braced himself. One of his feet went through the bridge. The remains of the board which should have held his weight tumbled into the ravine.

It was a long way down.

"Ash!"

Serena wanted to say many things, but all she said was his name. Ash looked back at her over his shoulder.

"I'm okay!" he said. "I just gotta take it slow!"

He pulled his foot up through the hole and placed it on the next board. He straightened up. The board held.

The cowering figure let out a high-pitched cry.

"Please, hurry!" the girl said.

Serena glanced at the girl. Could she not see that Ash was endangering himself?

Another board crumbled away from beneath Ash's feet. Serena couldn't stand it. She wanted to call him back, but she bit her tongue. None of their Pokémon were with them. What else were they supposed to do?

Ash reached the center of the bridge. He threw himself over the cowering figure, shielding it. The ropes quivered from the impact. Angered, the Spearow pecked him instead.

"Ash! You have to get out of there!"

Serena bit her lip. She wanted to drag him back to safety, but she knew it was a terrible idea. There was no way the bridge could support both of them.

As she had that thought, violet light emanated from beneath Ash.

 _"Nebby, no!"_

The violet light erupted. The explosion blew away the Spearow, and also the bridge. The ropes snapped, and splinters of wood scattered.

Ash rolled over in the air. He had a small, puffy, purple Pokémon clutched against his chest. For an instant, his eyes met Serena's.

And then, he tumbled into the chasm.

Serena screamed. She dropped to her knees and looked over the edge. A great distance below, the water awaited him.

Except it wasn't a great distance. He was almost at the bottom.

He was going to die.

From the corner of her eye, Serena noticed a blur, a mere figment of color. Under any other circumstance, it would have been the type of thing that one ignored, nothing more than a trick of the eye.

But the blur of color caught Ash.

It moved impossibly fast. It defied the senses, beyond all notions of what was physically possible. It shot straight up out of the ravine in a mere instant. Before Serena could so much as blink, it dumped Ash onto the ground at her feet.

Serena found herself face to face with the strangest creature she had ever seen. The colors of its body clashed violently, yellow and orange on black and white. Its head was covered in something resembling a plume of feathers. Its arms led to a pair of vicious claws with large shells attached to the wrists. It hovered in the air, motionless. It glared at Ash with its fierce eyes.

Ash propped himself up with one hand and sat upright, still holding the puffy Pokémon to his chest. With his mouth hanging open, he stared.

There was a tense moment. No one moved. No one spoke. Ash was the first to find his voice. It was quiet, hushed with awe.

"Thank you," he said. "Whoever you are."

The girl whispered.

 _"Tapu Koko…"_

The strange creature dropped a sparkling object onto the ground at Ash's feet. Then, it rose into the air at an otherworldly speed.

In an instant, it was gone.

* * *

The next several minutes were a blur to Serena. She attached herself to Ash like an anchor. She was never going to let him move again if that was what it took to keep him safely on the ground.

Ash relinquished the strange, puffy little Pokémon, and the girl wrapped it up in her arms, begging it never to do that again. Based on what Serena overheard, it was not the first time that Nebby had gotten itself into serious trouble. While the girl hugged Nebby, switching back and forth between scolding it and expressing her relief, her legs really did give out. She sank to her knees.

Serena sympathized. She shook like a leaf while Ash examined the sparkling stone the creature left behind. She wasn't even the one who fell into the ravine. She wondered if Ash was still in shock, or perhaps if she was. He almost died. He really, truly, actually almost died. If that _thing_ had not swooped in at that exact moment, Ash's dead body would have been floating down that river right now. Watching him allow himself to be swallowed by a tidal wave was child's play compared to this.

When Serena's nerves began to calm at last, she caught sight of the girl unzipping the bag over her shoulder. She attempted to stuff Nebby inside it. Serena couldn't help but think that it seemed like a bit of an overreaction. Then again, maybe it wasn't so inappropriate, considering what had happened. The way the girl scolded Nebby gave the impression that it had a habit of disregarding its own safety.

When she zipped up her bag, she sent a nervous glance in the direction of Serena and Ash. At last, she spoke to them.

Or to Ash, anyway.

"Thank you," she said. She bowed her head. "I am so grateful to you for helping us out of that dangerous spot."

Now that she wasn't in distress, the girl's voice was poised. Her words were articulate and proper. Serena was unsure, but Ash laughed.

"Don't mention it!" he said. "I'm glad I could help."

The girl looked even more nervous now. She bit her lip. Her bag shook like it was possessed.

"Actually… _not mentioning it_ is what I wanted to talk to you about," she said.

"Huh?" said Ash.

"Please, don't tell anyone about this," the girl said. "About seeing Nebby. It's… it's a secret, okay?"

Ash looked at Serena. He appeared just as confused as she felt. He hesitated before he spoke again.

"Okay," he said to the girl. "Sure."

"Thank you," the girl said. "I… I suppose I should head back to town now. It will be dark soon. So, um… thank you again."

The girl gave Ash a nervous smile, then headed toward the trail, back in the direction of Iki Town. Before she disappeared around the bend, she stopped. She turned around.

"Um… I'm worried we might get attacked again by wild Pokémon or… or something. I know it's too much for me to ask, but-"

She trailed off. She looked embarrassed.

"Do you think you could see us back to town?"

Ash smiled.

"Yeah, sure!" he said.

Serena wasn't sure how Ash broke free of her grip, or how she rose to her feet. All she knew was that a couple of minutes later, the three of them all headed down the trail together.

Their descent was slow. As Serena suspected, the girl did not appear to be a seasoned traveler. Her shoes were not at all appropriate for a place like this. If anything, though, Serena was grateful for the slow pace. She was weak in the knees. She held Ash's hand not for comfort, but for support.

What she really wanted was five more minutes to hold him, to feel the reassurance that he was still there, still alive and well, but there was no way that was going to happen at the moment. Instead, they were having an awkward walk with a girl whose name they didn't know.

Things were quiet for a while, but then Ash spoke up.

"So, that thing that rescued me," he said. "What did you call it?"

The girl looked surprised to be spoken to.

"Oh!" she said. "That Pokémon is known as Tapu Koko. It is the guardian deity of Melemele Island."

"That was a Pokémon?"

"Yes. A legendary Pokémon."

Glad she was not the center of attention at the moment, Serena rolled her eyes. It was ridiculous. If what the girl said was true, they had barely been in Alola for a day, yet Ash had already encountered a legendary Pokémon. It was not a coincidence. It couldn't be.

Then again, meeting legendary Pokémon _was_ typical Ash.

"Huh," said Ash. "Why did it drop this stone, then?"

The girl shook her head.

"There is no way of knowing, unfortunately," she said. "Tapu Koko is infamous for its… _capricious_ nature."

"Its what?" said Ash.

The girl thought for a moment.

"Tapu Koko appears before people from time to time, but it does not always help them," she said.

Ash appeared alarmed by this.

"Does it hurt people?" he asked.

"It has been known to when Pokémon are threatened by people. All of the tapu are like that. They are concerned with the wellbeing of Pokémon, not people. For someone to receive assistance from Tapu Koko is a very rare occurrence."

"But it didn't just help me," said Ash. "It left me this stone, too."

"It can be difficult to tell the Tapu's intentions, but I think you are right that it left that stone specifically for you. I am not certain what to make of it, though."

Serena knew what to make of it. She had seen it too many times. It was Ash's destiny to endlessly become entangled in conflicts involving legendary Pokémon. All she could do was hope that whatever he got involved in this time wouldn't be as dangerous as the last.

She kept her thoughts to herself as they continued down the trail. The sun drew closer and closer to the horizon, certain to disappear any minute. After a few more minutes, they went around one last bend and found themselves at the beginning of the trail again.

The festival in Iki Town continued. There were even more people there now.

"Oh, goodness," the girl said. She sounded apprehensive. "I forgot this was today."

Before anyone could say another word, Pikachu came running up to them.

"Hey buddy!" said Ash. "Sorry we were gone so long. Hope you guys didn't worry! What's up?"

A moment later, Rockruff burst through the crowd, followed by all of their other Pokémon.

The girl appeared startled by the oncoming stampede. She backed away a few steps. Ash laughed.

"It's okay!" he said. "They're our friends! They won't hurt you."

Serena knelt down to greet Pancham, Sylveon, and Braixen. Greninja joined Ash by his side. Rockruff ran around, yipping with excitement.

Then, Serena saw Cutiefly zoom past, and she turned around. Cutiefly came to a stop right in front of the girl's face, buzzing and chirping excitedly.

Serena's jaw dropped. It was impossible.

"Woo! You found 'em! Right on, good buddy!"

Professor Kukui emerged from the crowd ahead.

"Were you looking for us?" Ash asked him.

"Yeah, I lost track of you all for a while there. The crowd is wild! But it's all good, cousin."

"Did anything happen while we were gone?" said Ash.

"No, not at all," said Kukui. "I was just looking for you two so I could introduce ya to the kahuna's grandson before the main event tonight."

"The main event?" said Ash.

"Yeah, it's coming up in a bit. But it looks like while you were gone, you all took care of some introductions without me!"

Both Serena and Ash stared at the girl, their mouths hanging open. She stared back at them, looking every bit as surprised.

"Did ya find anything interesting at the ruins, Lillie?"

Professor Kukui's question was met with awkward silence. Cutiefly landed on the girl's shoulder.

"Well, not exactly… We, um, actually have not been properly introduced."

Professor Kukui jammed both of his hands into the pockets of his lab coat and laughed.

"Haha! Sounds like you all still need some more practice saying _Alola!"_

"I've practiced a lot!" said Ash.

Serena would have rolled her eyes, but she was too busy staring at the girl. She was hiding her big green eyes behind the brim of her hat. The light from the rising moon made it clear how pale she was. She was ghostly, almost ethereal.

"This is my assistant, Lillie. Lillie, this is Ash and Serena, the trainers who are staying with us for a while."

Lillie's eyes shot upward and wide open.

 _"What?"_ Ash and Serena said at the same time.

"Woo!" said Kukui. "Now _that's_ a surprise, yeah?"

Serena met eyes with Lillie. The two of them stared at each other for several seconds.

 _This_ was her mystery roommate.

"I- I had no idea!" said Lillie. "I thought it was another day at least before they were supposed to arrive!"

"Yeah, everything just fell into place out of nowhere while you were gone!" said Kukui. "They got here yesterday."

"I see…" said Lillie. She looked at Ash and Serena. "It is nice to meet you both, even if it is a bit late for an introduction."

"Did you all go up to the ruins?" said Kukui.

"We did not make it that far, actually," said Lillie. "We ran into some trouble along the way."

"Oh yeah? What happened?"

"It was amazing!" said Ash. "We saw-"

Lillie stepped in front of Ash, waving her arms.

"I am not sure that this is the best place to discuss it!" she said.

"Huh? Why not?" said Ash.

"There are so many people around!" said Lillie. "And… _Nebby."_

As if on cue, Lillie's bag shook.

"Hey, no worries," said Kukui. "As long as you all are good, I'm good. We've got plenty of time to talk about it later. Right now, we've got bigger things happening! The kahuna's grandson is about to offer a battle to Tapu-"

"Ah, _there_ you are!"

A booming voice cut through the crowd, and Hala waded his way through it. He was not alone. Behind him was a boy who bore a clear resemblance to him. His dark hair was tied up in the same style. He wore what looked like swim trunks in the same color as Hala's oversized shirt. He held the straps of an orange backpack over his shoulders. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"Good, you found them!" said Hala. "Just in time. We're about to get started."

Hala placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Ash, Serena, this is my grandson, Hau," he said. "He is beginning his island challenge here tonight!"

Hau stepped up and held out a hand.

"Alola!" he said. "Nice to meetcha!"

"Alola!" said Ash. He shook Hau's hand.

Serena did the same.

"Alola," she said.

She noticed Hau's eyes linger on her for a moment longer than was necessary. When Hau looked away, his face lit up with an even bigger smile.

"Hey, Lillie!" he said, waving. "Good to see ya again!"

Lillie did not wave back, but she nodded and smiled.

"Good to see you, too," she said.

"These two here are seasoned trainers," Hala said, nodding to Ash and Serena. "You might learn a thing or two from them on your challenge, my boy!"

"Awesome!" said Hau. "But Tutu, do we get to start now? I can't wait to meet my first Pokémon!"

Hau jumped in place while he spoke. Serena could already tell that patience was not one of his virtues.

"Yes, indeed we do!" said Hala. "We can't keep Tapu Koko waiting any longer, can we?"

 _"Tapu Koko?"_ said Ash.

"Yes, Tapu Koko," said Hala. "The guardian of Melemele Island! You've heard of it, I see."

Ash pointed to the trailhead.

"We _met_ Tapu Koko while we were on that trail earlier," he said.

Hala, Hau, and even Professor Kukui's jolly demeanors disappeared in an instant.

"Are you serious, boy?" said Hala. "You only just arrived in Alola, did you not?"

"Yeah, me and Serena got here yesterday," said Ash.

"Are you certain of what you saw?" said Hala.

"Yeah, we all saw it," said Ash. "I had no idea what it was, and neither did Serena, but Lillie told us it was Tapu Koko."

Hala looked at Lillie.

"Is this true?" he asked.

Lillie looked nervous. She nodded, clutching the strap of her bag.

"Yes," she said. "There was no mistaking it. It even gave something to Ash."

"No way!" said Hau.

"Did it really?" said Hala.

"Yeah," said Ash. "Here!"

Ash reached into his pocket, and he pulled out the sparkling stone. He held it in his palm.

Hala, Hau, and Professor Kukui all leaned in to take a closer look at it.

"Wow!" said Hau.

Professor Kukui exchanged a grin with Hala.

"I think we know what this means!" said Kukui. "This festival is gonna be one to remember!"

Hala clapped a hand to his stomach and belted out a laugh.

"Dahaha! You couldn't be more right! What a blessing we have been granted tonight! Ash, my boy! It couldn't be more clear!"

It was not clear to Serena, and she could see that it was not to Ash, either.

"What?" said Ash.

"Tapu Koko has chosen you!" said Hala. "A trainer from a distant land, graced by the favor of the Tapu on this very night!"

Ash blinked.

"Chosen for what?" he said.

Serena had never expected the _chosen one_ thing to be so literal.

"Chosen to be Hau's opponent in his battle offering to Tapu Koko!" said Hala.

 _Of course_ Ash was going to be chosen for a battle. Serena wondered how she did not connect the dots sooner.

"Come, my boy!" Hala said, taking Ash by the arm. "We must not keep the tapu waiting when it has made its will so clear!"

Hala pulled Ash through the crowd. Greninja followed him.

"Haha! This is awesome!" said Hau. He went bounding after them.

Pikachu stood next to Serena. He looked up at her, and she shrugged.

"I don't know," she said. "I guess I should have expected it."

Pikachu scurried up her leg and onto her shoulder. Rockruff ran ahead, turned around to face them again, barked, then disappeared into the crowd.

Professor Kukui stepped forward. He beckoned for everyone to follow.

"We won't wanna miss this," he said. "Let's go!"

Serena looked at Lillie. Their eyes met. Cutiefly took off and started buzzing around again. Lillie nodded, and she followed Professor Kukui into the crowd. Serena and her Pokémon were right behind her.

* * *

Serena was surprised to see that Professor Kukui possessed the gravitas to push his way to the front of the crowd. As soon as people saw who was trying to pass them, they moved out of the way without hesitation. Soon, she found herself with Professor Kukui, Lillie, and all their Pokémon right in front of the stage.

On top of the stage, Hala stood with Ash on one side and Hau on the other. Greninja was nowhere to be found. But then, Lillie yelped, and Serena saw Greninja appear out of nowhere beside them. Though Lillie appeared startled, Serena was more confused than concerned. If this was a battle, didn't Ash need at least one of his Pokémon?

Hala spoke, and his booming voice silenced the crowd.

"People of Melemele Island! We give our thanks to those watching over us, for today is a blessed day! Today, we commemorate the beginning of the trial of the grandson of the kahuna, Hau!"

There was a round of cheers and applause.

"And for his opponent tonight, the tapu has gifted us a trainer which it selected itself! Ash, who has met with Tapu Koko!"

There were more cheers and applause, mixed with sounds of surprise.

"Now, we shall not keep the tapu waiting! Bring forth the chosen Pokémon, and Hau shall choose his partner with whom he will share his journey!"

At that moment, Professor Kukui pulled three Poké Balls out of the pockets of his lab coat and placed them on the stage. He pressed the switch on each of them. A hush came over the crowd, and three small Pokémon materialized on the stage - one green, one red, and one blue.

"The grass type, Rowlet! The fire type, Litten! And the water type, Popplio!"

There were more cheers.

"Now, Hau! Which one will you choose as your partner?"

Hau stepped forward and crouched, with his hands on his knees. He looked each of the Pokémon over once, then stood up again.

"I know which one I want!" he said. "I choose Popplio!"

Popplio clapped its fins together and barked. The other two Pokémon continued to stand there.

"Very good!" said Hala. "Now, we must see if Popplio also chooses you!"

Serena's eyebrows raised. She saw that Ash looked just as surprised up on the stage.

When she chose Braixen at Professor Sycamore's lab, back when she was a Fennekin, this was not part of the process. The thought made her rather uncomfortable. Would Fennekin have chosen her?

She looked at Pikachu on her shoulder. She knew the stories. Pikachu would not have chosen Ash. She felt Braixen's warmth beside her. She did not dare look at the expression on Braixen's face. Some questions were better left unanswered.

A moment later, Rowlet turned its head completely around backward. Serena jumped in surprise. Could it read her mind? It was looking at her.

Or was it?

When Serena heard Pikachu speak, she knew she was not the target of Rowlet's gaze. Pikachu pointed at Ash, and Rowlet turned its head all the way back around again.

Popplio hopped its way over to the opposite side of the stage from Hau.

Litten licked itself absentmindedly.

"Now, Popplio!" said Hala. "Do you choose Hau as your partner?"

Serena could have predicted what happened next.

Rowlet took flight. Surprise echoed throughout the crowd as it landed right at Ash's feet.

Popplio barked at Rowlet with what Serena assumed was disapproval. Rowlet turned its head fully around again and winked.

"Well, what do we have here?" said Hala.

"It looks like Rowlet wants to join in on the fun!" said Hau.

"Rowlet?" said Ash.

Rowlet turned its head back around and looked up at Ash. It ruffled its feathers and let out a cheery call.

"Do you wanna battle with me?" said Ash.

"Why don't we let Rowlet tell us?" said Hala. "Both Popplio and Rowlet can choose their partners together!"

Without being told, Rowlet fluttered over to the opposite side of the stage, standing next to Popplio.

"Now, Popplio, do you choose Hau as your partner? Rowlet, do you choose Ash as your partner?"

Rowlet took flight and landed on Ash's shoulder, where Pikachu normally stood. On her own shoulder, Serena felt Pikachu tense up.

Popplio watched and continued to sit there while the crowd cheered. Hau had both hands behind his neck, laughing.

Ash looked like he felt very awkward.

When the cheers quieted, Popplio took off hopping, and hopped up into Hau's arms. There were even more cheers.

Litten continued to lick itself, not a care in the world.

Professor Kukui held up a Poké Ball.

"Let's get you back in here before the battle starts," he said to Litten.

Litten disappeared into the ball, and Professor Kukui placed it back in his lab coat pocket.

Lillie shifted her weight from one leg to the other.

"I wish they didn't have to battle…" she said.

Her bag rustled.

"No, you can't come out right now," she said. "You could get hurt!

On the stage, Ash and Hau moved to stand on opposite sides.

Serena was pleased to see that Ash was closer to their side. She waved at him.

Ash saw her and waved back. He pointed at Rowlet on his shoulder, then shrugged.

Rowlet appeared to be asleep.

"Hau! Ash! Are you and your partners ready?" said Hala.

Hau placed Popplio down on the stage. Popplio clapped its fins a few times.

Ash looked at Rowlet on his shoulder.

"Are you ready, Rowlet?" he said.

A moment later, Rowlet opened its eyes and fluttered down onto the stage. Ash looked at Serena and shrugged again. Serena giggled.

Hala stood in the center of the stage.

"For all life on our islands, and for those who undertake the island challenge with joy in their hearts, we pray for your protection, for them and all Melemele. May this Pokémon battle be an offering to our island's guardian deity, Tapu Koko!"

The crowd cheered. Hala stepped back. Lillie cringed.

"Begin!"

"Popplio, use Pound!" said Hau.

Popplio leaped into the air. It cleared the distance across the stage and came in with a fin raised, ready to strike.

"Rowlet, dodge!"

Rowlet took a few steps to the side. When Popplio realized what was happening, it panicked in midair and came crashing to the floor where Rowlet once stood. Rowlet stood a few inches away, facing forward, but with its head turned toward Popplio, watching.

"You can get 'em from there!" said Hau. "Try Pound again!"

Popplio shook it off, then reared up, ready to strike again.

"Dodge!" said Ash.

This time, Rowlet took a few steps forward. Popplio flopped onto the floor, into the empty space where Rowlet was supposed to be. It kept its head turned toward Popplio the whole time.

Popplio barked at Rowlet. Rowlet looked very pleased with itself.

"Don't let 'em get to ya, Popplio! Use Bubble!"

Ash hesitated.

"Dodge?" he said.

This time, Rowlet did not move. Popplio blew a large bubble with its nose and sent it hurtling toward Rowlet.

Rowlet popped the bubble with its beak.

Hau laughed and held his hands behind his head.

"Oh man, this is gonna be tough!" he said. "Give 'em another Pound, Popplio!"

Ash didn't issue a command. He asked a question.

"Do you know Peck?"

Rowlet did not respond.

"Uh- then dodge!"

Popplio lunged toward Rowlet, ready to strike. This time, Rowlet jumped backward out of the way.

"Hey, we got Rowlet off the ground, at least!" said Hau. "Keep it on its toes, Popplio! Pound again!"

Ash held a hand on the back of his neck. From the awkward angle of his jaw and the way he half smiled and half grit his teeth, she could tell he was grasping at straws. She began to understand why.

Ash didn't know Rowlet's moves.

"Do you know Tackle?" asked Ash.

Rowlet trilled a response that sounded positive.

"Then use Tackle!" said Ash.

Rowlet charged into Popplio's strike. The two attacks collided, and the Pokémon bounced off each other. The damage was only slight.

From the corner of her eye, Serena saw Lillie wince.

"Do you know a grass type attack?" Ash asked Rowlet.

Rowlet tilted its head at Ash.

"Haha! I sure hope that means no!" said Hau. "Pound, Popplio!"

Ash shrugged.

"Then, Tackle again, I guess?" he said.

Once again, Rowlet and Popplio collided. Lillie looked away.

"Is something wrong?" said Serena.

"I can't watch."

"Why not?"

"I can't stand seeing Pokémon get hurt," she said.

Rowlet and Popplio exchanged another pair of blows.

"It looks like Rowlet has a big advantage over Popplio," said Serena. "This battle wouldn't have to go on if Ash knew what kind of moves Rowlet could use. He would have won already if he knew."

Lillie looked at Serena. She seemed confused.

"He doesn't know?" said Lillie. "I thought he was an experienced trainer."

"He is, but I don't think he's ever seen a Rowlet before today," said Serena. "I haven't, anyway."

With surprise on her face, Lillie shifted her eyes from Serena to Ash.

"Do you know Vine Whip, Rowlet?"

The answer was no. Rowlet and Popplio exchanged blows again.

"What about Razor Leaf?"

No. Another exchange.

"Leaf Blade?"

No again. More blows.

And then, Lillie shouted above the crowd.

"Ash! Have Rowlet use Leafage!"

Ash, as well as much of the crowd, all looked at Lillie. Lillie's face turned red, and she hid it behind her hat.

For a moment, Ash looked confused. As Popplio came charging in yet again, he shook it off. He pumped his fist.

"Rowlet, use Leafage!"

Rowlet fluttered into the air, and a cloud of leaves poured out from beneath its wings. The leaves swarmed around Popplio, striking from all angles.

In a matter of seconds, the battle was over.

The crowd cheered, and Hala declared Ash the victor.

Ash stood there, scratching his head. Serena could not hear him, but she saw him mouth a confused-looking _"Leafage?"_ before Hala took hold of him by the wrist and raised his hand into the air.

Hau scooped Popplio up in his arms. He was still smiling. It looked like he was laughing, despite his loss.

With Hala holding his hand high in the air, Ash looked at Serena. Their eyes met, and they lingered on each other for a while. He won. Of course he won. It was ridiculous, just like all of his battles.

Ash shrugged. He smiled at her. As if it were contagious, Serena smiled, too. She couldn't help it. The big goofball.

Next to her, though, Lillie was not smiling. She covered her face with both hands, shaking her head.

"I can't _believe_ I did that…" she said.

"What's the matter?" said Serena. "You helped Ash win!"

Lillie gave Serena a doleful look. She appeared as though she were about to say something when Ash walked over to the edge of the stage. He spoke to her.

"Thanks!" he said. "I really owe ya for that one! I've never heard of that move!"

The uncertainty on Lillie's face melted away, bit by bit. A few seconds later, it was replaced by a bashful smile. Her face remained red. Serena doubted it was purely from embarrassment.

She was certain Lillie was blushing.


	5. Balanced on the Biggest Wave

Chapter Five – Balanced on the Biggest Wave

The next morning, Serena woke up to a scene similar to the day before. The loft was the same as always, everything in its proper place. Cutiefly perched on the railing above her cot, chirping as she stirred. The only difference was that Ash wasn't leaning over her. Nobody was.

Groggy, Serena rubbed her sleepy eyes. To her displeasure, her head throbbed as the morning sunshine assaulted her senses. Squinting, she saw Lillie's head peering over the edge of the loft, halfway down the ladder, Nebby cradled under one arm.

For a split second, Serena's heart lurched. A memory came to her of Ash disappearing over the edge of the gorge, Nebby clutched against his chest. Serena gasped, and she bolted upright.

"Oh!" said Lillie. "I sincerely hope I didn't wake you!"

Serena blinked. The adrenaline from her moment of fear faded. Her mind caught up to her eyes.

"You didn't," she said.

"Oh, good," said Lillie.

Their exchange was paused while Serena stretched her arms and yawned.

"Morning," she said.

"Yes, good morning," said Lillie. "I tried my best not to be noisy while I dressed this morning. I am relieved to hear I did not disturb you."

What would have been an awkward silence was instead punctuated by the sounds of Nebby struggling to escape Lillie's grip. Lillie attempted to hush Nebby, then looked at Serena again. She appeared apologetic.

"Don't worry about it," said Serena. She eyed the sofa bed. The pillow was fluffed and the blanket was folded in precisely the same way as the previous day. The journal on the desk was in the same spot as always despite Lillie writing in it late into the night. "Honestly, if you weren't here right now, I wouldn't have known you were ever here at all."

"That's quite a relief," said Lillie. "I was concerned my presence might be an inconvenience to you. I intend to do my best to be an adequate host."

Serena stared at Lillie.

"You live here, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes, technically."

"Then if anything, I'm the one who's an inconvenience to you!"

With her free hand, Lillie pulled on the railing and climbed the last few steps back into the loft. She stood by the foot of Serena's cot with Nebby wrapped up in her arms. She shook her head.

"Oh, no," she said. "You received an invitation from the professor to stay here. I have actually been, um... _imposing_ on the professor for the last three months."

Lillie bit her lip and looked away. Serena narrowed her eyes.

 _Imposing?_ That was what _she_ was doing. She doubted that Lillie would agree, though.

Cutiefly took off from the railing and landed on Lillie's shoulder. Nebby writhed beneath Lillie's arms.

"Nebby, please," said Lillie.

Nebby squeaked in protest, then flailed even harder. Lillie's lips went tight, pulled to one side in frustration.

"Oh, fine!" she said. She set Nebby down on the floor at her feet. Nebby's plaintive cries were replaced by a cheer, and it puffed its way toward Serena, beaming up at her.

Lillie humphed and crossed her arms. Serena suppressed a giggle. She waved at Nebby. Playfully, she stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth. Nebby made a sound that approximated a laugh.

"So cute," said Serena.

From atop Lillie's shoulder, Cutiefly's eyes snapped to meet Serena's.

"So troublesome..." said Lillie. She folded her hands together, then met Serena's eyes. "Truly, I owe a debt of gratitude to both you and Ash. I cannot thank you two enough for what you did for Nebby and me yesterday."

Serena tilted her head.

"Ash _and_ me?" she said.

"Yes, both of you."

"I didn't do anything, though. It was all him."

"Not as I see it."

"Ash was the one who went out on the bridge. He rescued Nebby, not me."

"You both came running to my aid, though, and you both escorted me back to town."

Serena opened her mouth, but she hesitated to speak. She hadn't done anything other than be there as a witness. She hadn't helped. If anything, she had been resentful of the ordeal. Ash falling off a cliff was not her idea of a fun hike.

"I... didn't do anything," she said, shaking her head.

"I am grateful to you both nonetheless," said Lillie. She avoided eye contact. Her folded fingers tightened.

Before Serena could say another word, Lillie straightened her posture. She spoke again with her head held high.

"Yes, I am appreciative to both of you. On a related note, I am certain you will be relieved to know that today should not prove to be nearly as dangerous."

"Oh? What's happening today?"

"The professor is out of town for the weekend, but he left me with instructions."

"Instructions?"

"Yes. He said, _Hey there, Lillie. Do me a solid and give our awesome new trainer friends a big welcome with a tour of Hau'oli City. Woo."_

* * *

A few hours later, Serena and Ash followed Lillie through the streets of Hau'oli City. Lillie held a well-worn map, the folding kind made of cheap paper that could be found in the lobby of any hotel or tourist trap. Every few seconds, her bag shook. They were going nowhere fast.

Serena squirmed with impatience. Her tablet was right there in her own bag. The navigator app would have them on the right track in seconds. Despite all the aimless meandering and walking in circles, she shushed Ash when he began to suggest that she take over the navigation. She had a feeling that it would be for the best if they let Lillie take her time. It was obvious how seriously she was taking the job. She was simply excruciatingly bad at it.

The longer Lillie's directional challenges continued, the more sense it made that her expedition to Iki Town required multiple days. It was doubtful that she could have found her way out of her own hat. Eventually, with some gentle suggestion that perhaps they should walk in the direction of the water, they found their way to the beach.

They descended a flight of concrete steps to the sand. The beach was packed. Hundreds of people and Pokémon were out enjoying the sun and the waves. Umbrellas, blankets, and chairs dotted the landscape as far as the eye could see.

While Serena and Ash both removed their shoes, Lillie refused to budge from the bottom step.

"I'm not sure I've dressed appropriately for the occasion," she said.

Serena was reminded of the first encounter with Korrina she and Clemont had in Monego City. Korrina dragged them to the beach despite none of them having swimwear. The drama of that day not included, it had been well worth all the sand she later had to rinse off her feet.

"Neither are we, but that's not going to stop us," said Serena.

She tucked her shoes and socks into her bag and stepped out onto the sand. It was pleasantly warm. She wondered if she should give Lillie another push to join them. Lillie looked deeply uncomfortable. Was it worth trying?

Maybe, but another thought occurred to her. It would be an opportunity to get some alone time with Ash.

As always, Ash remained clueless.

"You sure you don't wanna come with us?" he asked Lillie.

Lillie shook her head and gave him a nervous laugh.

"No, I really would prefer to stay here. Feel free to take your time! I don't mind."

Lillie's tone was not at all convincing. Ash looked at Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Buddy, why don't you stay here and keep Lillie company while we're gone?" he said. "It looks like she has her hands full with Nebby!"

Lillie's bag shook again. Nebby's face was visible through an open gap in the zipper. Lillie hurried to pull the zipper shut again and steadied the bag beneath her arm.

"That's quite alright," said Lillie. "I'll manage on my own. I know Nebby can behave for a while. _Can't_ you?"

Lillie gave her bag a plaintive glance. It shook yet again. She sighed. Ash laughed.

"I think you better stay, Pikachu," he said.

Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder. He landed on the step next to Lillie and gave Ash a salute.

Then, Serena took Ash by the hand and led him away. Before they could take more than three steps, Lillie interrupted them.

"Be careful!" she called after them. "Watch where you step! Pyukumuku can really hurt!"

Serena had no idea what a Pyukumuku was supposed to be, and she was not sure she wanted to know. The name sounded nasty enough.

She tugged on Ash's hand, and he followed. They weaved their way through the forest of umbrellas and sunbathers, headed toward the water. Serena took large strides, dragging Ash along behind her. He ran to catch up with her.

"You're in a hurry!" he said. "What's up?"

"I need to talk to you."

Ash frowned.

"Again?" he said.

"Yes, again," said Serena, doing her best not to sigh in exasperation.

"Is this like yesterday at the festival?"

"Kind of. There's… a lot I need to tell you about. There's been a lot on my mind."

"Oh man," said Ash. He adjusted his cap with his spare hand.

"I know you don't like this, but it's important," said Serena. "Please just stick with me for a few minutes."

Ash nodded. He looked like he was preparing himself to go into battle.

"I will," he said. "I promise."

He still did not sound thrilled. Serena thought for a moment. An idea came to her. The corner of her mouth turned upward. It was a clever one.

"Think of it as training," she said. "You're practicing talking about serious stuff. Every time, you get a little bit better."

"Ha! I never thought of it that way. I don't think you want this to be like a battle, though."

The sand between Serena's toes reminded her all too well of their battle on the beach.

"No, I don't," she said. "I think we've done more than enough battling."

They approached the water. The gentle surf was only a few feet away. The sand beneath their feet transitioned from dry to damp. They stopped.

"So, what's up?" said Ash.

Serena hesitated.

"I don't know where to start," she said. "There's so much I didn't get a chance to tell you back in Pallet Town. After yesterday, I don't know if I can wait anymore."

"Why not?"

Serena stared at him, lips parted. A fire rose in her throat.

"You almost died!"

Ash scratched his cheek.

"Oh, yeah," he said. "Kinda."

"Did you forget or something?"

"No, I remember."

"Doesn't that bother you at all?"

"That I remember?"

"That you _almost died."_

"Oh. Uh, not that much."

"How? It bothers me. It bothers me a lot!"

"I dunno. I haven't thought about it much."

"I know you felt me when I held you, after that... _deity_ thing saved you," said Serena. "I shook for like fifteen minutes after that. I woke up thinking about that this morning. I thought you were gone! I saw you falling to your death in my dreams!"

Ash rubbed the back of his neck. His expression was tight.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Serena took a deep breath. This wasn't what she meant to talk about at all. The words kept coming. She couldn't stop.

"I know you didn't," said Serena. "I know that helping people is your thing, but I _need_ you to think about what you're doing before you put yourself in danger like that! The first time I saw you in years was on TV, throwing yourself off of the tallest building in Kalos! Now, we're together, and the same thing almost happens! I don't know what I would do if you hurt yourself, or worse. Please don't let me find out. _Please_ don't do that to me, Ash. I can't lose you!"

Ash went still. He stared at his feet. The silence between them was interrupted from all around by the sounds of people and Pokémon having fun in the sun.

While she waited for Ash to say something, all Serena felt was uncomfortably hot.

"I'm really sorry," Ash said after what felt like minutes. "I didn't think."

Serena grimaced.

"Honestly, I'm sorry, too," she said. "I didn't mean to drag you out here to scold you. It just… kind of came out."

"You didn't do anything wrong," said Ash.

"Oh, yes, I did," she said with a scoff.

Ash gave her a confused glance.

"If you say so, I guess," he said. "Beats me what you mean, though."

"I... haven't told you about it," said Serena.

She released Ash's hand and rubbed her temples with both hands. Ash lifted up his hat and ran a hand through his hair.

Serena tried to think of how to phrase everything. Did her mother kick her out, or did they merely have a falling out? Had she tricked Palermo, or had she gotten lucky by asking an innocent question? He she extorted Aria, or had she simply asked for help? Had she blackmailed her? Was what she did considered some sort of crime? How could she even begin to explain?

Serena mimicked Ash and lifted her own hat, running her hand through her hair. Ash glanced at her.

"I..."

She trailed off. She looked Ash in the eye and shook her head over and over.

"I'm in so over my head," she said. "I have no idea what I'm doing."

Ash gave her an awkward smile.

"Me too," he said. "At least we have no idea together, right?"

"I'm... not so sure that's a good thing."

"Oh."

"This is all so much, so fast," said Serena. She reached for Ash's hand with both of hers and took hold of it. "On the hill outside Pallet Town at sunset... do you have _any idea_ how far I was willing to go?"

Ash bit down on both of his lips. He did not look away. He did not say a word.

The memories flooded Serena's mind. It was only a few days ago. Were it not for their absurd travel schedule, it would have been the only thing she had thought about since then. She knew her face was well on its way to turning red. She took another deep breath before she spoke.

 _"Too_ far," she said. "I don't know how, and I don't even want to, really, but we have to slow down, somehow. I know things are weird for us, but we haven't even been on a real date yet! We haven't even said, you know..."

Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"The _L-word,"_ said Serena.

"Oh. Yeah."

Ash looked away, out to sea. In the silence, Serena held onto his hand. She wanted him to be the one to break the silence. She knew it would never happen.

"Ash?"

He looked at her again. She pleaded with him with her eyes.

"Will you go on a date with me?" she asked.

Ash watched her for a moment, his eyes measuring her. His tight lips loosened. He nodded.

"Yeah," he said.

His voice was quiet, but his eyes told Serena everything she needed to know. She saw something beyond fear in them. She saw hope. She saw trust.

She kissed him.

The kiss was interrupted by the roaring of a rush of water. Serena opened her eyes as she felt a shallow wave wash over her feet. Both she and Ash laughed.

She put her hands on her hips and pouted.

"Way to go, ocean," she grumbled. "Thanks for ruining the moment."

Ash did not acknowledge her remark, though. Instead, Serena saw him focus on something beneath the retreating wave.

Serena narrowed her eyes. There was something lurking in the shallow surf. Whatever it was, it was not very large. Though the water obscured it, there seemed to be a number of pink spots covering it.

Just as Serena thought she had figured out the shape of the thing, the wave receded. A very strange Pokémon lay in the sand, right before her feet. It was indeed not very large. Its body was slick with slime. It was mostly black, but the pink spots were not spots at all. They were spikes. Two beady eyes looked up at Serena and blinked.

Ash put his hands on his knees and leaned over the strange Pokémon.

"Hey there!" he said.

When the Pokémon replied, it did not speak, but rather made some unintelligible squelching sounds. Serena's stomach churned.

 _"Ew…"_ she groaned.

The Pokémon blinked its beady little eyes again. It puffed itself up as though it were offended.

And then, it made a revolting retching noise. It shuddered, then seemed to turn itself inside out.

A moment later, something warm, wet, and lumpy plopped onto Serena's feet. She shrieked, toppled over backward, and scrambled away on her backside, unable to look away. She covered her mouth with one hand while clutching the other to her stomach.

The Pokémon had regurgitated some kind of slimy, white sac onto her feet. She was not certain she would ever feel clean again.

* * *

A few minutes later, once Serena no longer felt like her own stomach was going to turn inside out, she and Ash discovered that there were public hoses available near the entrance to the beach. They were intended for rinsing off sand. There was sand stuck to her feet, among other things, but Serena hoped to rinse off the smell more than anything. It smelled like some awful combination of stale seawater and rot.

Ash held the hose while Serena held her feet beneath the stream of water, scrubbing and scrubbing. She stopped when Pikachu came running up to them. Through an animated exchange, Ash discerned that Nebby had escaped. Thus began a wild chase.

Lillie was near tears when Serena found her. She swore she had watched to make sure Nebby did not unzip the bag from inside. One minute, Nebby was inside the bag. The next, it was on top of the nearest umbrella. The combined efforts of both Ash and Serena's Pokémon were required to comb the beach for Nebby and corner it. When Ash apprehended Nebby and returned it to Lillie, Lillie turned red in the face. She thanked Ash profusely and then gave Nebby a long-winded lecture about patience. Serena was certain Lillie's words went in one ear and out the other, if Nebby even had ears.

Afterward, everyone was eager to cool down. Together, they headed to a nearby shop that sold some kind of confection called _malasadas._ They smelled delicious, but Serena never found out for herself how they tasted. Instead, her appetite went missing when Ash told Lillie about their encounter with the odd Pokémon in the surf. Lillie identified the Pokémon as Pyukumuku. Her description of its typical self-defense behavior made Serena shudder. At least the name was appropriate.

When they left the malasada shop, they returned to the lab, but not without getting lost along the way. By the time they arrived, it was evening. Cutiefly zoomed around them in circles when they entered, perching on top of Lillie's hat for a moment, then joining Nebby on the floor when Lillie opened her thrashing bag.

Ash, stuffed from their visit to the malasada shop, went into the living room. Right as he was about to sit down on the sofa, Lillie ran to him and told him to stop. She said that no one was to touch the sofa under any circumstances whatsoever. So, bewildered, Ash grabbed the pillow from his cot in the guest bedroom and laid down on the floor in front of the TV instead. Serena did the same and joined him there.

When Ash couldn't decide on what to watch, Serena took the remote from him. She landed on a channel that was showing an old movie in black-and-white, a film about two old lovers who met again after many years in a far-flung place. Ash complained that it was boring and that it was going to put him to sleep, but Serena ignored him. She wanted to watch. And so, she laid there holding Ash's hand while he drifted off to sleep.

Lillie claimed she had a great deal of work to do around the lab, and she busied herself elsewhere. Every so often, Serena caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye of Lillie looking in her direction. She wasn't sure what Lillie was looking at. Perhaps it was the TV. Perhaps it was her and Ash.

That night, Lillie sat at her desk and wrote in her journal late into the night. Serena had no idea when Lillie went to bed, drifting off to sleep long before the scratching of pen on paper ceased.

The next morning, once again, the room was exactly the same. The blanket and pillow on the sofa bed were crisply folded and perfectly fluffed. The journal was in the same spot atop the desk.

Serena sat up and yawned. Out of nowhere, Cutiefly came flying up from the level below. Serena smiled as Cutiefly hovered in the air in front of her, dewy eyes beaming with excitement.

"Good morning!" said Serena. Out of instinct alone, she reached toward Cutiefly with her hand. She stopped halfway. She intended to pet Cutiefly, but it occurred to her that Cutiefly was so small that she might knock her out of the air if she did. So, she hesitated.

In her moment of hesitation, she noticed the Pokémon bed which sat ignored on the floor. She knew now that it was intended for Nebby, but it went unused every night. Nebby slept cuddled up in the sofa bed with Lillie. Serena had a suspicion that Nebby had taken the place of the well-loved Clefairy doll which sat alone atop the dresser.

Her momentary reverie was interrupted when Cutiefly landed on her finger, her hand still extended in hesitation. Serena's eyes shot open in surprise.

"Oh!"

Cutiefly tilted her head and chirped at Serena. Serena blinked, speechless. Cutiefly's weight was like a feather, almost imperceptible. Cautious, Serena reached her other hand up toward Cutiefly. With a single finger, she gave Cutiefly a delicate stroke down the back. Cutiefly trilled at the touch.

The down which covered Cutiefly was softer than velvet. However, some kind of yellow dust covered Serena's finger when she pulled it away. Serena frowned as she examined it. It looked like pollen. Not wanting to be rude, she made a discreet attempt to wipe it off on her pajama shorts. She could only imagine the case of hay fever she would get if she inhaled any of it.

She stood, Cutiefly still perched on her finger. She frowned again as she examined her side of the loft. It was a disaster compared to Lillie's side. Her bag sat half-spilled on the floor beneath her cot. She hadn't attempted to make her bed even once since arriving.

"Do you want to help me make the bed?" she asked Cutiefly.

Cutiefly chirped and took off. The answer was yes, but all Cutiefly was able to do was get caught beneath the sheets. The result was so much pollen on the sheets that Serena had to pull them all off, shake them clean while holding her breath, and start again. Even with Cutiefly observing from the railing, Serena's best effort yielded a lumpy-looking bed.

Defeated, she shrugged it off, changed clothes, and descended the ladder. Cutiefly followed her, but then went zooming away when Lillie came up the stairs from the basement.

"Oh, good morning," said Lillie. Cutiefly hovered beside her.

"Good morning," Serena replied.

There was a moment of uncertain silence. Serena wasn't sure what, if anything, she should say. Did she dare ask if Lillie had slept well? She knew Lillie was up late, and she also knew that Lillie was conscious of disturbing her. Would Lillie take the question as meaning her writing had kept her awake? Serena didn't want to risk asking, but what else could she say? Could she mention what just happened with Cutiefly? She had her doubts that Lillie would be pleased. She wasn't sure, but even though Lillie did not appear to be a trainer, Cutiefly appeared to her Pokémon.

But then, Serena looked through the window, and she saw Ash outside with his Pokémon. Lillie followed her eyes.

"Ash was up early this morning," said Lillie.

"He usually is," said Serena. "When we were on the road together, he always got up at first light to train."

"Is that so?" said Lillie. "I would not have pictured him to be a morning person."

"He's an _anytime_ person as long as Pokémon are involved," said Serena.

Lillie folded her hands.

"Well, I can picture _that,"_ she said.

Serena watched for a few moments. Ash was working with Rowlet, having him attempt to shoot down Greninja's Water Shuriken using Leafage. What was surprising, though, was that Pikachu was not involved in the training exercise. Instead, Pikachu was with Nebby, playing in the sand by the shore.

"He was kind enough to offer to look after Nebby for me this morning," said Lillie.

"He did?" said Serena.

"Yes, and I appreciate it immensely. I have so much to do today. Looking after Nebby is a full-time job on its own, as you can imagine."

"What do you have to do?"

"Chores," said Lillie. "At least, I suppose that's what you would call them. Maybe _maintenance_ is a better word."

"Maintenance?"

"The holes in the walls won't fix themselves, unfortunately."

Serena narrowed her eyes.

"Professor Kukui is having _you_ fix the holes?"

"Not exactly," said Lillie. "I'm taking it upon myself. He won't do it himself. He doesn't seem to mind them, but..."

Lillie paused. She looked around the lab and sighed.

"Really, he's so good at _making_ them that I'm not sure he even notices them," she said.

"Making them?" said Serena.

Lillie nodded.

"Yes. The professor never stops researching moves, not even inside the lab itself."

"He has Pokémon use their moves inside the lab?"

"Yes. In fact, he often has them use their moves _on him."_

Serena's face was blank as she stared at Lillie.

"Is he insane?" she asked.

Lillie poked the tips of her forefingers together. She smiled in an unnatural way that showed far too many teeth.

"I... have not ruled out that possibility," she said.

Serena looked out the window again. While she watched Ash, she scrunched up her face in thought.

"I'm going to go talk to Ash," she said.

"Oh, yes, go right ahead," said Lillie. "Don't stay here on my behalf. I have lots to do."

"Exactly," said Serena. "There's no reason you should have to do it all by yourself."

Lillie's mouth opened, but no sound came out.

"I'm going to talk to Ash about us helping you," said Serena.

Lillie held up her hands in refusal.

"I- I can't _possibly_ ask such a thing of you!"

"You're not asking," said Serena. "I'm volunteering."

Lillie pressed her palms against her forehead. Cutiefly landed on her shoulder.

"I shouldn't have mentioned anything. Please, forget I said it. I will be able to manage today on my own. There is no need for you and Ash to become involved. You're guests! I'm supposed to be hosting you! The upkeep of the lab is my responsibility."

Serena shook her head.

"I'm helping you," she said. "The only question is whether or not Ash is going to help, too."

Lillie clutched her hands against her collarbone, fingers curled shut.

"Serena, I-"

Lillie cut herself off. Her mouth remained open. Her eyes were filled with worry, but behind that, Serena sensed something more.

"I'm going to help you," she said. "That's what friends do."

Serena wasn't sure, but she thought she caught a glimpse of tears forming in Lillie's eyes as she turned toward the door. Cutiefly zipped past her out the open door, and Serena stepped outside, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

It took little convincing to get Ash to agree to help. Serena let all of her Pokémon out of their balls on the beach. She left them, plus Cutiefly, with instructions to make sure Nebby did not wander off. She returned inside with Ash a few minutes later. Lillie was astonished.

Flustered, Lillie struggled to decide what to do first. After several minutes of deliberation, she settled on feeding the various Pokémon that resided in the lab. Rockruff was with Professor Kukui, but there were far more Pokémon present than Serena realized. The aquarium was home to a Corsola and three Luvdisc. Ash fed them by sprinkling food into the top of the tank from atop a ladder while Serena held it steady and Lillie fretted below. There was a Snubbull which had done nothing but sleep since they arrived. When Serena placed the food dish in front of its bed, it opened one eye and roused from slumber long enough to eat, then fell asleep again. There was a Murkrow which lurked in the rafters, and a Poliwhirl which spent all its time in the basement working out with Professor Kukui's exercise equipment.

There was one more Pokémon present in the lab, somewhere. Lillie refused to mention it by name, but she left a food dish beside the sofa in the living room. She insisted that the Pokémon was very shy and would find the food on its own. She issued another stern warning not to sit on the sofa. Serena and Ash could do nothing but exchange a shrug.

When the feeding frenzy was over, Lillie seemed to dread what was next. She led them to a shed behind the lab, from which they retrieved a variety of supplies. It took several return trips to carry them all inside. They stacked everything in a corner - boards, saws, nails, hammers, and every kind of tool under the sun. There was even a full sheet of drywall which required all three of them to carry it, plus assistance from Greninja to open the door.

Once they had everything inside, Lillie wiped her brow with her hand and sighed.

"I can't believe you're actually willing to help me with this," she said.

"Hey, no worries!" said Ash. "How hard can it be?"

"Very," said Lillie, frowning. "I... didn't do a very good job with this the last few times I tried."

Serena's mind wandered to the various boards nailed onto the exterior walls of the lab like bandages. Things suddenly made much more sense.

Lillie chose which hole to patch first, one near the front door which she considered particularly egregious. Ash was quick to pick up a saw and begin cutting a board, but Lillie stopped him and attempted to explain the process. The idea was to expand the holes so they formed rectangular shapes, then cut patches to cover them. Ash appeared to have no idea what she meant, so Lillie volunteered to do the measuring, and when she struggled with too many things in her hands at once, Serena volunteered to draw the lines for her.

The process was slow. Ash was impatient by the time he got to cut something. Widening the hole without further damaging the wall took time. So did sizing the patch. The first hole alone took an hour. Serena could see at least six more from where she stood. In the interest of time, Lillie proceeded to the next hole to begin the measurements.

It was then that Serena made the pleasant discovery that she and Ash worked faster without Lillie's supervision. She understood Lillie's directions well enough to handle the layout on her own, and she knew how to rein in Ash's enthusiasm for going overboard with tools well enough to prevent him from injuring either himself or the building. And so, in relative peace, they continued through the afternoon.

Serena began to sweat. It was hard, dusty work. There was a thin coating of sawdust all over the floor around the areas they had patched. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and sat down with her back against the wall while Ash continued to work. After a moment, he paused in the middle of a cut and looked at her.

"Tired already?" he asked.

"It's been hours," said Serena.

"Really?"

"Yes."

Serena pointed to the clock which was visible from the kitchen.

"Oh. Huh," said Ash. "I had no idea."

The whole time, he never let go of the saw which was still in the middle of a cut in the wall. He had a hammer sticking out of his back pocket, and a screwdriver through one of the belt loops of his pants.

"You're having too much fun," said Serena.

"Am not!" said Ash. "There's no such thing."

She looked at him for a moment, taking in the sight of him. It was a treat to see him like this, so caught up in something so physical. It made him look rugged, trading in some of his boyish charm for something more manly. He almost looked domestic, like he had a job. Serena's mind wandered toward the future.

She knew what she thought was ridiculous. They were both dirty, both sweaty, but he had never looked so dreamy. For a while, she looked at him. Just watching, nothing more.

Ash did not seem to understand.

"What's up?" he said.

"Nothing," said Serena. "Nothing at all."

"Huh?"

"Just... thinking," she said. She picked up her hand from the floor and found her palm covered with sawdust, a handprint left behind.

Wistfully, she touched the carpet of sawdust with her finger. She began to draw. Ash let go of the saw. It stuck in the wall. He turned his head to look.

"Whatcha drawing?" he said.

"Oh, you'll see," said Serena. She picked her finger up, cleaned it off, and completed the other half of the shape.

"A heart?" said Ash.

"Mhmm!" said Serena, closing the tip of the heart with a final stroke. "And there's one more thing. Actually, two more..."

She grinned as she drew two letters inside the heart, one on each side.

 _S_ and _A._

Ash's eyes narrowed, but then they widened again with recognition.

"Hey, that's us!" he said.

Serena's heart jumped. It was true that the letters stood for the two of them, but they held another meaning, courtesy of a certain someone who took to signing her signature as a single letter.

For a moment longer than she intended, her gaze lingered on the heart. The fleeting memory passed, and she looked up at Ash and smiled.

"It _is_ us," she said. She reached up to his face with one hand. She poked a finger against the tip of his nose, leaving a smudge of sawdust behind. Ash laughed.

"Hey!" he said, rubbing his nose clean with the back of his arm.

Serena did not lower her hand. Instead, when Ash finished cleaning himself, she placed her fingers on his cheek. It was so much easier to ignore the feeling of Aria being right over her shoulder when her entire mind was occupied with Ash. And yet, she still felt a curiosity about the window beside them, as though Aria would be right outside on a nonexistent bench if she looked.

The next thing Serena knew, her eyes were closed. She craned her neck up to meet Ash. Their lips connected. Everything else vanished. Serena knew she didn't move much, but somehow she ended up beside Ash. He must have joined her on the floor. She leaned into him, hands on his shoulders, kissing him deeper. Nothing else was real.

But then there were footsteps.

"Oh- oh, goodness! I-"

Serena tore herself away from Ash, and her eyes flew open. Across the room, at the top of the staircase, Lillie shielded her eyes.

"I- I'm so sorry!" Lillie stammered. She inched backward, descending one step. "I came to check on you because I hadn't heard any noise in a while, and I- I-"

Lillie said no more. She ran back down the stairs.

* * *

Two hours later, the repair job was finished. The embarrassment had not worn off, and Lillie had not emerged from the basement.

As much as Serena wanted to talk to Lillie, she supposed it was for the best. For the second time in as many days, she wasn't sure she would ever be clean again. She had never needed a shower so urgently in her life. She was filthy from head to toe, sawdust stuck to her skin from sweat. It was even under her fingernails. Careful to touch as little as possible, she climbed up to the loft, grabbed her pajamas, and went back down to the bathroom.

Once she was inside, she locked the door behind her. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was a disaster. She had never looked less attractive. Even days spent working in rain and mud back on the Rhyhorn ranch at home were nothing compared to this. There was an alarming amount of sawdust in her hair. When she removed her shirt, it peeled off, completely adhered to her body from sweat.

She made no attempt to wait for the water in the shower to warm up. Even ice cold, it felt like heaven. The longer she lingered, the more she felt herself coming back down to reality. At one point, she had thought it would be fun to clean off _with_ Ash after they were done. Now, she was relieved he wasn't here, instead going for a swim with his Pokémon.

She was disgusted. She couldn't keep her hands off of him, let alone her mind. She knew the very first thing she needed to do when she left the bathroom was find Lillie and apologize. There was no other sensible course of action. Lillie had been mortified, and for good reason. Slacking off on the job was one thing. _Making out_ on the job was another.

But when Serena left the bathroom, apologizing was not the first thing she did, because her clothes were in dire need of a wash. It was not the second thing she did, either, because when she left the laundry room, she found Cutiefly tapping on the window, begging to be let inside. Serena obliged and opened the window a few inches. Cutiefly slipped through the gap, chirped as she zipped around Serena's head several times, and disappeared into the basement below.

Serena watched Cutiefly vanish, then closed the window. Her hair still wet from the shower, she tied it back. Cautious, she tiptoed down the stairs to the basement. It was cool down below, and much darker. The water in the aquarium cast an ethereal blue light over everything, ripples in the water causing the light to dance on the walls. The entire far side was occupied by a bookcase that spanned from floor to ceiling.

In front of it, Lillie was seated on the floor with her nose buried in a book. Nebby slept next to her, curled up against her leg.

To Serena's surprise, Cutiefly had not joined Lillie. Instead, she was perched on one of the many monitors towering over what must have been Professor Kukui's desk. Serena wasn't sure if Lillie had failed to hear her come down the stairs, or if she was ignoring her on purpose. She decided to err on the side of caution. Startling Lillie would not make things better.

From across the room, Serena spoke.

"Lillie?"

Lillie abruptly looked up. Serena had her answer. Lillie had indeed been lost in her book.

"Oh! Um, hello."

Nebby opened its eyes, blinking to shake the sleep from them. It stretched, letting out a high-pitched yawn.

Serena knew from Lillie's short, stiff greeting that this was going to be awkward.

Nebby wandered toward Serena. Serena saw Lillie open her mouth to tell Nebby to stop, but Serena brought Lillie to a halt before a word was said. She walked toward Lillie, and Nebby followed her.

Serena stood before Lillie. Lillie folded her book shut, placing it down in her lap. She looked up at Serena, and Serena stared back in silence. Silence, except for Nebby's babbling as it circled around Serena's feet, happy as can be.

Both Serena and Lillie opened their mouths to speak. Serena barely formed a word before Lille interrupted her.

"I-"

"I'm sorry for intruding on you," said Lillie.

More silence. It took Serena some time to speak again.

"May I sit down?" she asked.

Lillie looked surprised to be asked.

"Yes."

Without taking another step, Serena sat down, right on the spot, right in front of Lillie. She took care not to squish Nebby.

"I mean it," said Lillie, avoiding eye contact. "I really am sorry. I should not have pried."

Serena hesitated. She wanted to ask several questions, but she knew none of them were the right thing to say.

"I actually came down here to apologize to _you,_ " she said.

Lillie looked at her again.

"You did?"

"Yes," said Serena.

"But… why?"

"I actually wanted to ask you the same thing."

Serena paused. She saw the reticence in Lillie's face.

"About why you apologized to me just now," Serena clarified.

"Because I intruded!" said Lillie. "It was inappropriate of me to do so!"

"It was inappropriate of us to... do _that_ while we were supposed to be helping you," said Serena. "You did nothing wrong. We did."

Serena bit the inside of her lip. She knew that wasn't entirely true. She continued.

"Actually, _I'm_ the one who did something wrong," she said. "I started it. Ash just followed my lead."

 _"You_ started it?"

Serena ran a hand over her wet hair.

"Yes, I did," she said. "I shouldn't have. It was really dumb of me. I don't know what I was thinking. I really wasn't thinking, I guess. I should have thought about what I was doing."

"I… thought it was usually the guys who started things like that," said Lillie.

Serena's face scrunched up in confusion.

"You thought _Ash_ started that?" she said.

Lillie looked sheepish.

"Well... yes," she said.

"Really?"

Lillie broke eye contact.

"I didn't think it was that ridiculous of an idea," she said. "I simply assumed. It sounds like I made a poor assumption, though."

Serena didn't know where to start.

"Ash wouldn't do something like that," said Serena. "He… doesn't really understand romance very well. I kind of have to lead the way in our relationship."

Serena felt her own words linger in the air. Somehow, she had never put the thought to words before, but hearing the words aloud was like a bucket of water to the face.

 _She was the one leading the way._

"That must be hard," said Lillie.

Yes. Yes, it was.

"It's… not how I wanted things to go," said Serena. "Honestly, I'm lucky to be with him at all. Getting to this point was like fighting a war."

Serena shifted her eyes aside, busying them with examining the bookcase for a few moments. She really had fought a war to get here. Miette had, more or less, declared it as such. It was more than luck for her to be here with Ash. It was nothing short of miraculous.

"He's worth it, though," said Serena. "I never gave up on him, and I never will."

Lillie stared at her hands, folded in her lap.

"To be honest, I'm envious of you," she said.

Serena's eyes narrowed.

"You're so good at standing up for yourself," said Lillie. "I wish I was."

Serena had never heard a less accurate statement about herself.

"I… have a lot of room for improvement," she said.

"I think I have _nothing but_ room for improvement," said Lillie.

Things were quiet for a moment until Cutiefly swooped in from atop the monitor and came buzzing up to them. She hovered in the air between them. Both Serena and Lillie stared while Cutiefly chittered and chirped, her eyes shifting back and forth between the two of them.

And then, Cutiefly landed on top of Serena's head. Both Serena and Lillie's eyes shifted upward. Lillie's mouth hung open.

Serena sat as still as a statue. She was confused about many things, but most of all why her heart was beating so hard. From atop her head, Cutiefly whistled a short, cheerful tune.

Lillie blinked several times, as though trying to shake the disbelief from her eyes. Serena met Lillie's eyes. The two of them stared at each other. Serena became aware of how long it had been since she had last drawn breath. Ending their impromptu staring contest, she closed her eyes and exhaled, her shoulders slumping as she did.

When she inhaled again, she straightened back up and opened her eyes. Lillie continued to watch Cutiefly atop her head. Once again, Serena and Lillie's eyes met.

"Maybe," said Serena, "we can improve _together."_

Lillie's lips parted. It looked like she was going to speak, but then she closed her mouth and bowed her head. She forced her lips into a sad smile. She took a deep breath.

"I would like that very much."

* * *

The remainder of the day passed in peace. They ordered a pizza for dinner, a strange Alolan variety that was served with pineapple on top. Serena was revolted by the idea of it, but to her surprise, it was much better than she expected. Ash did not even notice the unusual topping, inhaling half of the pizza before running back outside.

Serena spent the evening lounging on the front porch, watching Ash train with Pikachu, Greninja, and Rowlet. Serena sat in one of the deck chairs, and Lillie sat in the other, reading. Sylveon played with Nebby in the sand, and Cutiefly hummed around them.

To Serena's surprise, Braixen was not content to watch Greninja as usual, and instead took it upon herself to help Pancham burn off some excess energy. She sparred with him until he tired out. Serena suspected it may have been only to keep him from interfering in Ash's training session. When Pancham went to rest underneath a palm tree, Braixen continued to practice her moves on her own, lighting up the evening sky with jets of fire.

Every so often, Serena got the sense that it had been a while since Lillie turned a page. When she glanced at Lillie out of the corner of her eye, she saw her peering over the top of her book.

Lillie took notice. Their eyes met. Lillie hurried to bury her nose in her book again.

"They're amazing, aren't they?" said Serena.

Lillie peered over the top of her book again. She paused, then closed the book, placing it down in her lap.

"I've never seen anything like it," she said. "Usually, I can't stand to watch this sort of thing."

Serena remembered Ash's battle against Hau and Lillie's objections to it.

"I keep expecting someone to get hurt, but they've been going like this for hours," said Lillie.

"This is pretty normal for Ash," said Serena. "When we were traveling in Kalos, he trained like this every day."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," said Lillie. "He commands his Pokémon so well."

Neither one of them spoke for a while. They watched as Rowlet released a carpet of leaves with Leafage, and Greninja shot down every single leaf with Water Shuriken before they hit the ground. Then, Pikachu did the same with a combination of attacks.

Things continued this way for a while until the relative peace was pierced by an echoing _Woo!_ in the distance.

Lillie looked to the horizon, squinting.

"It seems the professor is back earlier than expected," she said.

Serena attempted to follow Lillie's gaze. She narrowed her eyes, scanning the distant waters, shimmering pink and orange in the sunset. At first, she saw nothing.

But then, she saw a torrent of water being kicked up, the wake of something moving at a tremendous speed. It was moving right toward them.

Lillie stood up, set her book down on her chair, smoothed down her dress, and descended the front steps, heading toward the shore. Serena also stood, but she still was not sure what she saw. It drew closer and closer.

And then, it became clear. It was Professor Kukui, riding a Sharpedo.

Another _Woo!_ echoed all around. This time, it got the attention of Ash and his Pokémon. Their training session came to a halt. Serena hurried down the front steps and caught up with Lillie, walking with her to the shore.

Not long after they stopped to wait, Ash joined them. And then, Professor Kukui arrived.

Sharpedo came to an abrupt stop in the shallows, unable to get any closer to shore. The change of momentum nearly sent Professor Kukui flying off the front. He braced himself against the handlebars attached to Sharpedo's back.

Serena shielded her eyes, as did the others. A shower of water kicked up all around, splashing to the ground, wetting both them and the sand.

Professor Kukui hopped off Sharpedo and waded toward shore. Somehow, despite the circumstances, he was dressed the same as ever. His lab coat was drenched. His shirt was nonexistent.

"Alola, strangers!" he said, waving to them as he stepped onto dry ground.

Serena was preoccupied with wiping all the seawater off her face.

Professor Kukui pointed at Ash.

"Those were some stylin' moves, cousin!" he said. "I saw 'em on my way in. Made me wanna get here even faster, so I had Sharpedo come in at full speed. Sorry about the splash!"

Lillie gave Professor Kukui a doleful look as she wrung water out of one of her braids.

"I'm surprised to see you back so soon, professor," she said.

"Yeah, I decided to come back a bit early," said Kukui. "I was all worked up thinking about the kinds of moves I'd be able to see from Ash and his team when I got back, so I sped back as fast as I could!"

"You came back to see my team's moves?" said Ash.

"Yeah, but that's not all!" said Kukui. "I picked up something on Akala Island that I think you'll be able to put to good use, but there's one other thing you'll need first. Hey, Lillie, did Hala stop by while I was away?"

Lillie wrung out her other braid. She shook her head.

"No," she said. "We didn't have any visitors."

"Not unless you count a pizza delivery guy!" said Ash.

"Nah, only Hala would be able to deliver what I'm lookin' for," said Kukui.

"What is it?" said Ash.

"A Z-ring!"

"A what?"

"Haha, I bet you've never heard of Z-moves before, yeah?"

Ash shook his head. So did Serena.

"No," said Ash. _"Z-moves?"_

"They're an ancient technique practiced here in Alola!" said Kukui. "By uniting the spirits of both trainer and Pokémon, and performing a series of poses, a regular move can be upgraded into a super-powered Z-move!"

Serena thought it sounded like fiction, but Lillie nodded along like it was common knowledge, and Ash lived to do the impossible.

Professor Kukui pulled a shiny object out of his pocket. He held it out for Ash to see, displaying it between his thumb and forefinger.

"There are two things a trainer and Pokémon need to perform a Z-move," he said. "This is one of them. A Z-crystal! This is a water-type Z-crystal, Waterium Z!"

He handed the crystal to Ash. Ash took it, and he held it in the palm of his hand. Greninja peered over his shoulder, examining it. Serena leaned in to take a closer look.

The crystal was cut in a diamond shape, like an elongated, squashed pyramid, flat on one side. It was a deep shade of azure. Inside it was a symbol etched in black, shaped like a drop of water.

"That crystal is all yours, Ash," said Kukui.

"Really?"

"You bet! There's one more thing you need, though. You won't be able to do anything with that crystal until Hala brings you the Z-ring he's crafting for you. That's what he's doing with that sparkling stone you got from Tapu Koko!"

Ash looked like he had no idea what to say. Neither did Serena. The whole idea sounded like Mega Evolution. She thought that was a myth, too, until she saw it with her own eyes. And then, Ash and Greninja surpassed it.

Professor Kukui continued.

"Normally, Z-rings are only given to trainers who take on the island challenge, but when Hala found out you received that stone from the guardian deity itself, he decided to make an exception!"

Ash gripped the crystal in his hand.

"Wow," he said. "Thanks! But, what's the deal with these Z-moves? You said they were super-strong, right?"

"Oh yeah! The strongest!"

Lillie spoke up.

"They are upgraded moves, essentially," she said. "The substantial increase in power is achieved only when Pokémon and trainer are united as one in spirit. It takes a rare trainer to be able to use the technique to its full potential."

"That sounds a lot like Mega Evolution, but for moves instead of Pokémon," said Ash.

"That's the idea," said Kukui. "That's a big part of why I was so excited to have you help with my research, because I heard that you and Greninja can achieve Mega Evolution without using a Mega Stone."

Lillie looked alarmed.

"That's supposed to be a myth!" she said.

"If the stories about Ash and Greninja are true, then that myth is busted!" said Kukui.

The corner of Serena's mouth turned upward into a smile. She felt a surge of pride.

"It's true," she said.

Lillie continued to look like she couldn't believe it. Her eyes shifted to Ash.

Ash smirked. He turned his hat around.

"Serena's telling the truth," he said. "Watch and see! Greninja?"

Greninja nodded, then leaped into the air, flipping over backward and landing in a ready stance some distance away. Ash joined Greninja and stood next to him.

"Ready?" he said.

Serena wasn't sure to whom Ash's question was addressed. It didn't matter. A moment later, Ash and Greninja bowed their heads in unison. An aura encircled them both. A veil of water wrapped around Greninja.

When it all faded, Greninja stood before them in an altered form, their shared transformation complete.

"Oh yeah!" said Kukui. "That's what I'm talkin' about!"

"Unbelievable…" said Lillie.

Serena looked at Lillie. Her face was frozen with awe, her eyes as wide as she had ever seen them.

"Show 'em what we've got, Greninja!" said Ash. "Pikachu, Electro Ball!"

Pikachu jumped into the air. A ball of lightning condensed on the end of his tail. He flung it at Greninja.

One moment, Greninja was on the ground next to Ash. The next, he towered high above in the air. He removed the giant shuriken from his back. It glowed a bright, vivid blue against the orange light of sunset. He threw it at the oncoming Electro Ball.

The shuriken cleaved the Electro Ball in half. The halves of the ball fizzled and crackled away to nothingness in midair. The shuriken struck the ground, embedding itself in the sand.

A few seconds later, Greninja landed beside the shuriken. He removed it from the ground and reattached it to his back. A deep gash remained in the sand.

"Now _that's_ power!" said Kukui. "I can't wait to see more of those moves in action!"

Lillie looked concerned.

"Not on yourself, I hope," she said. "That's your last good lab coat…"

"That's not all we can do!" said Ash.

"Oh yeah!" said Kukui. "I'm sure that was only the tip of the iceberg, wasn't it?"

Ash rubbed his finger underneath his nose. He looked very pleased with himself.

"You know, we can do something that's a lot like what those Z-moves sound like."

Serena's eyes widened. If Ash meant what she thought, he had lost his mind.

"Yeah?" said Professor Kukui. "Show us what you've got!"

Serena doubted Ash needed encouragement, but it was crystal clear from his face that he intended to do it. He didn't seem the least bit concerned. Serena understood why. She had no doubt he would be fine. She was far less certain about everyone else.

Then again, he had done this twice to great success. He knew what he was doing, didn't he?

She could not stay silent.

"Ash! Are you sure about this?" she said.

"No doubt!" he said. "Greninja, you know what to do."

Greninja leaped into the air again, this time landing in the surf. His back was to the horizon. Water lapped around his knees, advancing and retreating with the rolling waves. Ash walked toward the water. Serena backed away.

"Now _this_ I gotta see!" said Professor Kukui.

Unless Ash had somehow figured out how to _control_ this move since the last time he used it, they were all in grave danger. There was no wall of Light Screens to hide behind, nor an arena to contain it. Serena's voice rose in her throat again.

"Ash, please! Be careful!"

"No worries!" said Ash.

It wasn't what Serena meant to say at all, but it was what came out. She continued to back away. Lillie looked at her.

"Is something wrong?" said Lillie.

 _"Yes,"_ said Serena.

Ash sat down in the sand, his back also facing toward the waves. Pikachu called to Ash. His voice was also full of concern. Serena knew she was not alone, after all. Braixen and Pancham were backed away. Sylveon tried to convince Nebby to move away from Greninja and Ash instead of toward them. She resorted to restraining Nebby with her feelers.

A swell in the water grew as it approached the shore.

"My body is ready!" said Professor Kukui. "Woo!"

Serena turned and broke into a full sprint.

 _"Run!"_

A few seconds later, she saw Pikachu come up alongside her, catching up and then streaking past. She heard a roar of water. She looked over her shoulder.

Greninja rose atop a towering wave, blocking out the sun on the horizon and casting everything in shadow. Ash sat with his eyes closed, still as a statue. Professor Kukui cheered, his arms outstretched. Lillie struggled to run, her shoes tripping her as they filled with sand.

Lillie fell. Then, she screamed.

 _"Nebby, no!"_

Nebby had broken free of Sylveon's grasp. Sylveon hesitated, torn between trying to grab Nebby again or running for her life.

Instead, she did neither. She froze.

Serena stopped. She had no way of retrieving Sylveon. Sylveon was too far away for her to go back and grab. Her Poké Balls were all inside the lab. She did the only thing she could.

"Sylveon, Protect!"

Sylveon looked back at Serena. Her eyes were filled with fear. A moment later, she bowed her head, shut her eyes, and wrapped herself in a shield of protective light.

"Nebby, come back!"

Lillie tried to scramble to her feet. She pulled one of her shoes out of the ground. Sand poured from it.

The wave crested. Ash was devoured by the wall of water.

" _Nebby!"_

Nebby turned around, drawn to the sound of Lillie's voice. For a moment, Serena was certain she was about to witness a tragedy.

And then, something amazing happened.

Nebby glowed. Serena _felt_ it. She felt warmth all around her. It came from all directions, all at once. Light radiated out from Nebby, all the stars inside it glowing brighter and brighter until she was forced to look away.

When she looked away, Serena did not see an island. She saw stars. Galaxies. Clouds of dust adrift in the cosmos. The roar of water vanished, replaced by absolute silence, perfect and total, more silent than anything she had ever imagined. The warmth surrounding her was replaced by the total absence of it. There was no heat. There was no air. There was nothing.

Just as Serena became desperate for breath, she found herself somewhere else entirely. She stood on top of the roof of the lab, but the lab was not on the beach anymore. She doubted it was in Alola. She doubted it was even on Earth. Her lungs flooded with the heaviest, stalest air she had ever tasted. Inky blackness surrounded her, illuminated only by the faint glow of multicolored objects in the fathomless distance.

A shrill, horrid wail pierced the silence. A chill went down Serena's spine. She gasped.

Pale blue light emanated from below. The baleful cry echoed again. Serena shivered. A luminous, otherworldly figure rose in the air before her, beautiful and hideous at the same time. The folds of its shimmering body hung like a drape, a veil over a missing head.

Serena's pupils dilated. The tiny hairs all over her body stood on end. She was unable to look away, her gaze fixed on where the creature's head was supposed to be. Her eyes slid out of focus. There was nothing upon which to focus. Instead of a face, there was nothing but an empty cavity.

The creature drifted toward her. She sank to her knees. She felt faint. Her eyes rolled upward, toward the back of her head. She collapsed. The creature drew closer. It screeched. Then, everything changed.

There was light. The sound of rushing water. Salty air. Serena blinked. She was still on the roof of the lab, but the lab was in Alola again, right back where it started. A giant wave receded from the beach, retreating to the ocean whence it came.

She was not alone. Cutiefly and Rowlet fluttered down to the rooftop. Braixen, Sylveon, Pancham, and Pikachu all huddled together nearby. Lillie stood at a far corner of the roof, looking bemused. Professor Kukui stood at another. In the center of the roof, Nebby lay collapsed on its back, unconscious.

Professor Kukui scratched his head. He turned and faced the sea.

"Huh," he said. "Well how about that."

"Nebby!"

Lillie ran to Nebby and scooped it up in her arms, smothering it in a hug.

Pikachu's ears hung low as he gazed at the sea. Neither Ash nor Greninja was anywhere to be found. Serena was certain both she and Pikachu knew exactly where they were, but until the water receded, there was no way to be sure.

Sylveon rubbed up against Serena's leg, shivering. Serena knelt down and smoothed her hand down Sylveon's back. Braixen and Pancham joined Pikachu, waiting for the water to recede. Rowlet and Cutiefly took flight and hovered above, trying to get a better view.

The water continued to recede. When the wave dissipated, Ash and Greninja were both where Serena thought they would be. Even though she had seen it several times now, she still did not understand it. Somehow, Ash refused to move. He remained seated in the same spot, undisturbed. Greninja stood in a meditative stance, some distance ahead of him.

With Nebby passed out in her arms, Lillie came up next to Serena.

"How are they still there?" she asked.

"I wish I knew," said Serena.

"All I know is that was a move like none I've ever seen!" said Kukui. He had a huge grin on his face. He laughed. No one else did.

Everything became quiet again. All around, dozens of disturbed water Pokémon washed up on the beach made their way back to sea. Staryu and Starmie rolled like wheels. Magikarp flopped. A pair of Golduck took it upon themselves to help several deflated Tentacool back into the water.

The sun sank beneath the horizon. Ash sighed, and both he and Greninja let their shoulders go slack. Their transformation faded.

Ash opened his eyes. He looked around.

"Guys?" he said. He raised his voice. "Hey, where is everyone?"

Serena rolled her eyes. At least _he_ was fine.

"Up here!" she called back to him, waving.

Ash rose to his feet. Water dripped from all his clothes. He was soaking wet.

"How did you all get up there?" he said.

"Nebby did it, I think," said Serena.

"Nebby?" said Ash. "How?"

Professor Kukui laughed.

"Cousin, I think a better question is how we're going to get down from here!" he said.

Ash held a hand behind his head. He grinned like a fool.

The answer, it turned out, was that Greninja had to carry everyone down individually. A few minutes later, with everyone on the ground again, Serena grabbed Ash by the wrist and pulled him aside, out of sight from anyone else. She glared at him. He grinned back at her.

For an instant, she considered slapping him in the face. An instant later, she hated herself for ever entertaining the thought. She tightly folded her arms.

"You nearly killed us all!" she said. "What were you thinking?"

Ash's expression sank.

"I, uh, wasn't really, I guess."

"You don't say!"

Ash hung his head.

"Yeah, that was dumb," he said.

"Why would you do that?" said Serena.

"I thought it would be okay. It was fine the other times I did it."

"Maybe you didn't realize it because you had your eyes closed the whole time, but the only reason you didn't destroy half of Monego City was that the trainers on the beach protected the city with a wall of barrier moves!"

"Oh. I, uh, didn't know."

"You-"

Serena stopped herself. She pressed her fingers to her forehead, clenching her eyes shut. When she looked at him again, she shook her head.

"You idiot. You total, complete idiot. There are people and Pokémon here who _love_ you, Ash! We're not all weirdly indestructible like you are! We can't do what you just did. You're lucky we're not all dead!"

Ash stared at his feet.

"I see what you mean," he said.

"Do you?" said Serena. "Do you really? Do you love us enough to think before you act, just for once?"

Ash didn't answer.

"Do you love _me?"_ said Serena.

Immediately, Serena knew she had asked the wrong question. Her heart felt like she had stabbed herself in the chest.

Ash pursed his lips.

"No, don't answer that," said Serena. She backed away a step, shaking her head. She waved her hands as if telling him to stop. "I shouldn't have asked that. This isn't the time."

She continued to back away.

"Where are you going?" said Ash.

"I- I'll be fine," said Serena. "I just need some time to myself, that's all."

"Serena?"

She continued backing away.

"Not now," she said. "We can talk later, I promise."

"Sere-"

Ash was silenced by a loud, wet squelching sound. He cringed. Serena stopped in her tracks.

There was something hard beneath one of her shoes, and something warm and slimy on top of the other.

She looked down. There was a beached Pyukumuku trodden under one of her feet. Its guts were spilled across the other. It glared up at her.

Serena's shoulders slumped. Her stomach churned. She took a deep breath, clenched her fists, turned her head up toward the sky, and shouted.

 _"Augh!"_


	6. Two Lost Souls

Chapter Six – Two Lost Souls

When Serena awoke the next morning, she found Lillie still sound asleep, cuddling Nebby. Lillie had written in her journal late into the night, and Serena was not at all surprised. She suspected Lillie had never before stared down an advancing tsunami only to be teleported deep into space and back again.

Serena felt an odd sense of relief to have had a nightmare about the experience. It meant she was not becoming desensitized to it. It was not becoming normal for her. She hoped it never would. She sat on the edge of her cot for several minutes, retracing her steps in her head. The wall of water, the distant galaxies, the suffocating alien world. Somehow, the fact that she had been in outer space for a few seconds was the least alarming part of the experience.

Perhaps it was because the image of that wretched creature returned to her every time she had more than a few seconds to think. Its cry still grated her ears. In the middle of the night, she had kicked all the sheets off her cot. They had felt like the creature was wrapping itself around her, enveloping her. She kept her hair pulled back. Wearing it down felt too much like the awful thing was lowering itself to latch onto her head.

She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the thought. It was all too much to comprehend. As if it wasn't enough already, there was the matter of who saved everyone. Nebby had the curiosity, intelligence, and lack of self-preservation instinct of a toddler, yet it had saved them all. Serena's eyes lingered on Nebby and Lillie, fast asleep. For a moment, she wondered who was taking care of whom.

She rose from her cot, willing to ponder things no longer. Careful not to disturb them, Serena crept past Lillie and Nebby and climbed down the ladder. Once downstairs, she looked out the window toward the ocean. The sun was already up, and so was Ash. He sat on the sand, alone.

Serena went to the door, turned the knob, and stepped outside. The air was cool and damp. A gentle breeze blew toward her from the sea, smelling of salt. The sand was cool on her feet.

She approached Ash. He did not appear to notice her. She sat down beside him.

"Hey," she said.

Ash's eyes were closed. He opened them, startled.

"Hey!" he said.

He looked at her like he had so many questions, so many things to say, and no idea how to say them.

Serena folded her hands in her lap. She stared at them for a moment, then looked at Ash again. His eyes pointed to the ground, and his mouth was drawn tightly shut.

Serena leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. When she pulled away, Ash held his hand over the spot on his cheek where she kissed him.

"I thought you were mad at me," he said.

"I _am_ mad at you."

"But then, why-"

"Because I'm in love with you, you doofus."

It was the second occasion in less than a day Serena had used _that_ word. Ash looked like he was going to say something, but he shut his mouth, and his voice turned into something between a sigh and a hum. He let his hand fall from his face.

"And yes, I mean it," said Serena. "It's true. That's how I feel about you. I told you so when we had our battle. It's no secret."

Ash stayed quiet. He nodded.

"You don't have to say it, too," said Serena. "Not yet. I know you have good reasons not to want to say it. As long as you're committed to being with me, that's good enough."

Serena sighed. She knew that wasn't true. Not completely, anyway.

"It won't be good enough forever, though," she said.

"Then what?" said Ash.

Serena bit down on her lips.

"I don't know," she said.

There was no sound except the waves for a while. Serena thought.

"For what it's worth, I believe you _do_ feel that way about me," she said. "I know I kind of... _went off_ on you yesterday. I'm-"

Serena paused. She caught herself. She knew what she was about to say, and she knew it would have been a lie. She spoke the truth instead.

"I'm _not_ sorry," she said. Ash's eyebrows raised. "I'm not. You deserved to be yelled at. Honestly, you deserve some more of it."

Serena folded her arms. She drew her lips into a tight line and exhaled sharply through her nose. Ash ran a hand through his hair.

 _"Yeah..."_ he said.

"Yeah," Serena repeated. "I'm mad at you. I'm really, really mad at you. I've had enough nightmares about the things you've done."

"I'm sorry."

"Are you?"

A spark lit in Serena's chest. Arms still folded, she turned her head to look at him. She gave him a withering stare.

"Are you really?" she said. "It doesn't seem like it. You said you understood me when I told you I couldn't handle you endangering yourself all the time, and then you go and summon a _tsunami_ just to show off!"

"Well, I wasn't in any danger," said Ash. Serena scoffed.

"Yeah, and I only know that because I've watched you allow yourself be swallowed whole by that move three times now, and you somehow have this weird ability to just _sit there_ through it! No normal person could ever survive that!"

"I-"

Ash started to say something to defend himself, but he stopped. He bowed his head.

"I know," he said.

"Oh?" said Serena. Her arms came unfolded. Her fingers curled into fists. "Is that so? That makes me feel _great!_ What a _relief_ it is to know that you were aware of what you were doing when you nearly killed us all!"

"I... didn't mean to."

"Then what did you mean to do?"

"I thought it would be really cool."

"It would have been if you hadn't endangered us! Couldn't you at least have thought that much through?"

"I... I didn't think," said Ash. He folded his arms and leaned forward. He stared at the sand.

"I _need_ you to think," said Serena. "Can you see why?"

"Yeah."

"Then please, _actually_ do it."

"I'm trying. I'm just really not used to this."

"You have to get used to it eventually. I know this is all new. It's new to me, too, but you can't use that excuse forever!"

"I didn't know things would change so much."

"What does _change_ have to do with this?" said Serena. "Even if I wasn't your girlfriend, what you did still would have been a terrible idea!"

"Yeah, but we would have _laughed_ about it."

Serena's grimace softened. Her lips parted, and her heart skipped a beat.

How many times had she seen Ash do something dangerous? How many times had she been in danger because of him? More times than she could count. Every time, at the end of the day it was nothing more than a fun story to recount over the campfire. It would happen again the next day, and the day after that, forever, and everything was fine. And now, it wasn't fine anymore.

"Love... changes things," said Serena. "Things were always going to be different. Change can be good, though."

"Yeah," said Ash. "I knew it wouldn't be the same, but I want things to be _fun_ again, you know?"

Serena hesitated. To her surprise, Ash spoke again in her silence.

"Everything's been so serious since, well, the Team Flare attack, really," he said. "I just wanna have fun again."

The heaviness of his words made Serena's heart ache. The thought for a moment. She looked away.

"Me too," she whispered.

Everything went quiet for a while. Ash sat hunched forward, supporting his chin with both hands, staring out at the sea. Serena tried to give him some space to think. It was so unlike him, but that was what made the scene so striking. She could not stop stealing glances at him every few seconds. The last time she had seen him so lost in thought, she had thrown a snowball at his face. That had gone poorly, and she knew it would go even worse if she repeated the incident with sand.

In the extended silence, pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place in her mind.

"Things really have been weird, haven't they?" she said. "We used to spend every day somewhere new. Now, we keep getting stuck in places."

Ash shifted his eyes toward her. He nodded.

"We're supposed to help Professor Kukui do... something," said Serena. "Study moves, I guess? But we haven't even started yet. We've done nothing but wait."

Ash nodded again. He looked back out at the sea.

"Maybe that's a good thing," said Serena.

"Huh?"

"I know you don't like waiting for anything, but you know how I mentioned we needed to, well, _slow down?"_

"Yeah."

"Maybe we can use our time here to slow down. We can figure some things out."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean about our relationship," said Serena. "We're both overwhelmed. Maybe we can figure out how to take things more slowly."

"But what does that mean?"

"I- I don't know. Not for sure. But what I _do_ know is that I feel like I could hold you forever and that still wouldn't be long enough. I keep coming dangerously close to losing control when we get a few minutes alone. And, I mean, I kind of _enjoy_ it, but I know it has to stop. For now, at least. I can't be losing my mind over you after just a couple of weeks."

"What do we do, though?"

"I think we need to take a step back," said Serena. "I know _I_ need to. Maybe several steps back. I need to back off on the _love_ thing. And... on wanting to jump you every time we're by ourselves."

Serena ran a hand through her own hair. It was almost embarrassing to admit out loud. Ash looked confused.

"But does that mean we, you know, break up?" he said.

Serena's heart seized.

"No! No, not at all!" she said, aghast. "That's not what I mean! I just meant that we need to, well, kind of take a break."

"A break?"

Serena squirmed. None of what she was saying was coming out the way she wanted it to. It sounded all wrong.

"I mean, we would still be together!" she said. "We would still be boyfriend and girlfriend, but we would take it less seriously for a while. Like-"

Serena scrambled for words. It was clear that Ash had no understanding of this whatsoever.

"We would still do things together and talk and hold hands and stuff, but we wouldn't, you know, _make out_ all the time, or spend every single waking minute of the day together. We would... try to have _fun_ again."

Ash's eyes softened.

"And after we've had some time to figure things out, we can be more serious again," Serena continued. "We can figure out our feelings for each other some more without things being so stressful all the time. And when we're ready, maybe we can go on our date."

The look of doubt on Ash's face transformed into a smile.

"That sounds nice," he said. Serena returned his smile.

"Yeah," she said. "It sounds nice to me, too."

She placed her palms on the sand and leaned back, staring at the horizon. A sense of calm washed over her. Her heart swelled. The doubt and uncertainty which had been there for weeks seemed to fade. Confidence took its place.

She reached for Ash's hand. He looked startled.

"But I thought-"

"Being on a break doesn't mean I don't still have feelings for you," said Serena. "And it doesn't mean I'm not going to show it sometimes."

She gave his hand a squeeze. He squeezed her back.

"I mean, that is, if we're actually doing this," she said.

"I want to," said Ash.

"Me too," said Serena. "Until we've had a real date. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

She leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Hey!" he said.

"I'm still going to do that sometimes!" said Serena. "Just not as much. That's all for now, promise."

She let go of his hand. She placed her hands on her lap. The two of them stared at each other.

Ash's lips parted. Then, he reached for her hand again. He stopped just before he touched her. Serena raised her eyebrows.

Ash exhaled. He placed his hand atop hers, gave it a quick squeeze, and pulled away. He stood up, dusting himself off.

"I'm starving," he said. "Let's see what's for breakfast."

Serena sat there for a few more seconds, admiring him. He was an idiot, but he was trying his best. She wouldn't have had it any other way.

* * *

The next two days flew by in what felt like no time at all. Despite Serena's suspicions that he was nothing more than a madman, Professor Kukui did, in fact, have actual work for them – both of them, both her and Ash.

The beach became their workplace. As they discovered, the guest bedroom in which Ash was staying was indeed previously a closet. The mountain of boxes inside it were all crammed full of research equipment, and Professor Kukui kept Lillie occupied by having her search through them for the specific instruments he needed. He was in possession of an amazing number of cameras, sensors, and many indescribable devices, all intended for capturing data about how Pokémon used moves.

Although Professor Kukui was most interested in working with Ash and Greninja, he worked with Serena as well, and with all of their Pokémon. He exhaustively documented every single move their Pokémon could use in battle, and when that was completed, he even tried to teach them new moves. He called it an experiment, but Serena was doubtful there was anything to be learned by attempting to teach Sylveon to use Dynamic Punch, or Pancham to use Thunder, or Rowlet to use Flamethrower.

In between their extended training and research sessions, Serena learned that Ash's question about what was for breakfast was a very silly one indeed. The answer was always the same. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were always an Alolan Plate, every day. Lillie confirmed that it was the only dish Professor Kukui knew how to cook.

Only on the third day did they get a reprieve from their grueling schedule. It was raining. Professor Kukui wanted to continue his research indoors, but after much pleading from Lillie, he decided to give it a rest for the day. He went downstairs to the basement to, as he put it, _tackle_ some other work, which Lillie seemed to fear he meant in a literal sense.

There was little to do but lounge around. It would have been the perfect occasion to curl up on the sofa to watch a movie, but once again, Lillie issued a stern warning not to touch the sofa. So, instead, Serena built a makeshift pillow fort in front of the TV with Ash.

Although Serena was content to spend the entire day there, Ash was quick to grow restless, and so were some of their Pokémon. Pancham was incapable of sitting still and took to running around the lab with Rockruff. The two of them became so hyperactive that Pikachu had to step in to keep them under control. Meanwhile, Rowlet was content to roost in the rafters with Murkrow all day, and Sylveon had no interest in leaving the pillow fort.

Given his convenient typing, Greninja was outside by himself, training in the rain. Braixen sat by a window, appearing to make attempts at meditation in between stealing glances at Greninja outside.

By early afternoon, Ash fell asleep from what Serena assumed was pure boredom. Rather than sit there effectively alone, she went to find Lillie. When Lillie was nowhere to be found in the basement, she knew there was only one other option.

Serena climbed up to the loft and found Lillie sitting on the edge of the sofa bed. The scene took her aback. Everything was out of order. Lillie had pulled the floor lamp out of its normal spot and moved it so it was right overhead of where she sat, providing the most light possible. There was an indistinguishable mess of shredded white cloth scattered all over her and around her. In the middle of it all, she sat with a pin tucked into the corner of her mouth and thimbles covering all ten of her fingers, trying to work a needle and thread through the cloth in her hands. Cutiefly buzzed around her frantically.

She looked embarrassed to be found.

"Oh!" she said. The pin tucked between her lips fell out and tumbled somewhere into the folds of the dilapidated lab coat she was repairing. Serena was sure it was destined never to be found again until Professor Kukui inevitably pricked himself with it.

"Sorry!" said Serena. "I didn't mean to startle you. Ash fell asleep, so I wanted to see what you were doing."

Lillie frowned at the mess in her lap. Serena picked up one of the discarded pieces of fabric on the floor, letting it dangle between her fingers. It had once been a lab coat. It bore no resemblance to a coat anymore.

"I have been trying to mend these lab coats so the professor does not end up permanently shirtless," said Lillie.

In almost a week at the lab, Serena had seen nothing to indicate that Professor Kukui even owned a shirt. She laughed.

"I don't think he minds," she said.

Indignant, Lillie snatched the cloth scrap out of Serena's hand.

"I mind!" said Lillie. "It seems I am the only person here who finds a basic ability to dress oneself to be a vital component of maintaining a professional appearance!"

Serena raised her eyebrows at Lillie. Nothing about Professor Kukui was professional.

A high-pitched noise drew Serena's attention to the normally vacant Pokémon bed. Nebby was sound asleep in it, snoring. To the best of Serena's knowledge, Nebby had been asleep the entire time since teleporting everyone to safety. Cutiefly landed on the railing above Nebby's bed and tilted her head.

Lillie sighed.

"Excuse me," she said. "I did not mean to raise my voice."

Lillie let her hands fall slack in her lap.

"I'm no good at mending clothes," she said. "The only thing I have succeeded at is damaging them even further. I am at my wit's end."

"Do you want some help?" said Serena.

Lillie's eyes widened. After hesitating for a moment, she shook her head vigorously.

"Oh, goodness, no!" she said. "I wouldn't dare to ask such a thing of you! This is a job for a professional tailor, I'm afraid."

"I know a lot about sewing clothes by hand, actually," said Serena.

"You do?"

"I've made my own dresses."

Lillie went still. She stared at her thimble-covered fingers.

"I can help if you want," said Serena.

"I- I don't know," said Lillie. "Thank you, though. I think I need a break from this. I'm becoming too frustrated with it."

Lillie tried to untangle herself from the web of thread surrounding her. She only entangled herself further. A lock of her hair fell in front of her eyes. She let out a puff of breath to blow it away, but even more hair fell in front of her face. She groaned.

"This is so embarrassing," she said. "I'm a failure of an assistant. I can't even keep the professor _dressed_ properly."

Serena shook her head.

"You're not a failure. Let's get you out of there."

Serena located a pair of scissors and cut the knot that held Lillie in place. The thread that surrounded Lillie fell away. She sighed again.

"Thank you," said Lillie. "I- I don't know what to do."

Lillie covered her face with her hands. She rubbed her eyes. Serena had the distinct feeling of watching herself in a mirror.

"It's okay," said Serena. "Just relax. Take it easy."

Lillie removed her hands from her face and instead rested her elbows on her knees, and her chin in her hands. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she exhaled.

"Is there anything you like to do to relax?" said Serena.

Lillie thought for a moment.

"I like to go to the café at the Pokémon Center, sometimes."

* * *

After instructing Cutiefly to watch over Nebby, half an hour later, Serena and Lillie arrived at the Pokémon Center in the outskirts of Hau'oli City. Sharing one umbrella the whole way, neither one of them stayed particularly dry, although Serena was glad to have her rubber rain boots from her trek to Pallet Town. Lillie was less fortunate. While Serena's boots squeaked on the tile floor, Lillie's sodden shoes and socks squelched.

When they entered, they were greeted by a wet floor sign. Lillie led the way, taking them toward a secluded, quiet corner in the rear of the center. There were only a few people there. The barista was a large, older man, one who seemed to recognize Lillie.

"Ah, good afternoon, miss," he said as Lillie approached the counter. "The usual?"

Lillie looked at Serena, then back to the man.

"Yes, but… _warm,_ please."

"Certainly. And you, ma'am?"

The man looked at Serena. Serena had no idea what to order. She hadn't even looked at the menu. Lillie seemed to know what was good, though.

"What's _the usual?"_ Serena asked Lillie.

Lillie hid her eyes. Although it always seemed like she looked embarrassed, this time, she _really_ did. She replied so quietly that Serena couldn't hear her.

"What was that?" said Serena.

Lillie looked like she wanted to vanish.

"Moomoo Milk," she whispered, without looking at Serena.

Serena was glad Lillie could not see the expression on her face. _Moomoo Milk?_ That was the usual? And today she wanted it _warm?_

Serena shook her head. She looked at the menu on the back wall and read aloud the name of the first tea she found.

"Roserade Tea, please."

"Yes ma'am. Will that be all?"

Serena nodded, and so did Lillie.

"On your tab, miss?" the man asked Lillie.

"Yes, please," said Lillie.

Serena scrunched up her face again. Lillie had her usual Moomoo Milk here so often that she had a tab? She kept her thoughts to herself and followed Lillie to a table. She was not surprised when Lillie chose the one farthest away from any other customers. They sat across from each other.

There was an awkward silence. Serena was not content to let it last.

"It sounds like you come here more often than just _sometimes,"_ she said.

"It would be more accurate to say I come here often," said Lillie. She did not look at Serena.

"I guess this is the closest place like this to the lab, isn't it?" said Serena.

"Yes," said Lillie, "although all of the Pokémon Centers in Alola have one of these cafés."

"I wonder why we don't have these in Kalos," said Serena. "I think we have more cafés than the rest of the world combined."

"Are cafés popular there?"

"Very. Some people spend hours in them every day."

"I do that here, sometimes," said Lillie. "But here, that makes me the odd one."

Serena shrugged.

"It sounds normal to me," she said.

"Perhaps I would enjoy visiting Kalos," said Lillie.

Lillie continued to avoid eye contact. Serena used the opportunity to take a closer look at her. Lillie was so slight, so slender, so delicate. Her hair and her dress were always perfect. Even though she had just trekked through the rain, she was the picture of beauty and poise.

"I think you would fit right in," said Serena.

"Do you really think so?"

"Yes. You've got the fashion figured out, anyway."

"Oh…"

Lillie looked down at her hands in her lap. Serena did not understand. It was true. Lillie looked like she was dropped into her seat directly from the waterfront of Monego City. She looked like she came from the deck of a yacht, or from the fashion district of Lumiose City. She was more than beautiful. She was elegant.

"Are you not a fashion person?" said Serena.

"Not really."

"I wouldn't have guessed that."

"I… I wish I was."

"It looks like you already have some things figured out," said Serena. "That dress is amazing on you."

"I don't like it very much, actually," said Lillie.

"Really? Why not? You're stunning in it."

Lillie's lips tightened.

"I didn't choose it," she said.

Serena narrowed her eyes.

"Huh?"

"I don't know what I would choose to wear if I could."

"What do you mean, _if you could?"_ said Serena.

"I- I've never picked out my own clothes before. I don't know how."

Serena tried to contain the incredulous look on her face, for Lillie's sake. She leaned in a little bit closer. She spoke in a hushed tone.

"Do you mean _your mom_ picks out all your clothes or something?" she said.

Lillie did not look at Serena. With her eyes still focused on her lap, she nodded.

Serena backed away, straightening up in her seat again. She attempted to restrain her bemused look. She did not succeed.

"I never would have guessed," she said.

"You pick out your own clothes, don't you?" said Lillie.

Serena opened her mouth, but she did not know how to answer such an obvious question. Before she could say anything, Lillie spoke again.

"Of course you do. You said you made your own dresses."

Serena wanted their drinks to arrive so she could have something to busy herself with, any excuse at all not to speak. What had started as small talk had become incredibly awkward. As embarrassing as it was in her position, she knew it had to be much, much worse for Lillie.

Lillie glanced up at her.

"I- I love the way you dress," said Lillie.

Serena looked down at herself, as confused as ever. Her oversized shirt hung loosely on her frame. It was secondhand. It wasn't chosen for style. She chose it for comfort, ideal for life on the road, on another journey with Ash. If anything, it was the opposite of her style. She chose it out of necessity. Now that they were residing at the lab indefinitely, she wished she had some nicer clothes for daily wear.

A thought occurred to her.

"Would you like to go shopping with me?" said Serena.

Lillie's eyes had wandered to her lap again, but they shot back upward.

"Goodness, I-"

"I can show you the ins and outs, and help you find some things you like," said Serena. "Plus, I want to find some things for myself, too. It'll be fun!"

"I can't ask that of you," said Lillie. She bit her lip. "It's too much to ask."

"You're not asking," said Serena. "I'm _offering."_

"It's a very generous offer. I don't know if I can accept it."

"Why not?"

"I wouldn't want to be a burden on you."

"You wouldn't be," said Serena. "I love fashion. It would be a good time for me. Hopefully, it would be for you, too."

"I don't know…"

"Lillie."

The two met eyes again. Serena stared at Lillie, with her arms crossed and brow creased. Lillie seemed to both straighten up and shrink in her chair at the same time.

"I'm trying to help you," said Serena. "I'm offering you a gift. Please accept it. You deserve not to hate the clothes you wear."

Lillie briefly opened her mouth to speak, but she shut it and shook her head, eyes closed.

Serena hushed her voice.

"Lillie, _please,"_ she said.

Lillie opened her eyes again.

"Please, for once, let yourself have something good," said Serena. "You deserve better than what you allow yourself. You don't have to bend over backward to stay out of everyone's way."

Lillie's mouth opened again. She did not close it this time. Her eyes were fixed on Serena. Serena doubted that Lillie was breathing.

"I _know,"_ said Serena. "I speak from experience. I've been there before. I still struggle not to fall back into doing things that way, to be honest. I don't want to see you live that way, too. I say that… as a friend."

For a moment, Lillie looked like she was trying to stop herself from sneezing.

But when she sniffled, it was accompanied by a faint, strained cry. Serena knew the tears welling up in Lillie's eyes were from anything but allergies. Lillie held a hand over her mouth and looked around, frantic. There were no napkins on the table, nor anything else to dry her eyes.

A light switch flipped in Serena's head. She reached into her bag and dug into it. She had just the thing for the occasion.

While she searched, she saw Lillie turn in her chair, reach into her own bag, and do the same, sniffling like mad the whole time, trying her best to keep quiet. It was no use. Serena was certain everyone in the café was looking at the two of them.

Serena felt the familiar fabric between her fingers. She pulled it toward the mouth of the bag. Before she pulled it all the way out, the light hit it, and she paused.

Ash's handkerchief.

In her moment of hesitation, Lillie rose from her seat.

"Excuse me," she said through tears. She ran to the bathroom.

* * *

Not long after Lillie left, the man from behind the counter brought their drinks to the table. When he saw that Lillie was missing, Serena explained that she had run off to the bathroom, and he offered to hold onto Lillie's drink until she came back to keep it warm. And so, Serena sat at the table, sipping her tea alone.

The tea was fragrant. She supposed she should not have been surprised. It seemed like everything in Alola had flowers either on it or in it. Lillie was even named after a flower.

Serena pursed her lips and stared at her teacup. While a trail of steam rose from it, waves of shame washed over her. She couldn't do it. She couldn't give Lillie the handkerchief. She knew Ash would have given it to Lillie in a heartbeat.

She stuffed the handkerchief back into the bottom of her bag. Her hand grazed against paper. She knew all too well what she had found. It was Aria's final letter. She pulled it out.

The irony was perfect. Aria was wrong. Serena knew she wasn't selfless. What had just transpired was all the evidence needed to prove it. The whole time, while Aria told her again and again how wonderful she was, Serena knew the truth, but never wanted to admit it. Her generosity only went so far. Her good will had a limit.

Serena unfolded the letter. Her eyes traced the final few lines of it again and again. She was not what Aria claimed she was. If anything, _Lillie_ was. Kind, beautiful, selfless beyond measure. In comparison, what did that make her?

What was she anymore? She had abandoned everything about herself and her old life to be here. She blackmailed a friend for money. She lied to everyone. She finally had what she had always wanted, and it wasn't enough.

The bonfire on the beach felt like it was a world away. So much for _being enough._ Nothing was enough. Not her, not Ash, not their relationship. Not all the money in the world. Perhaps her own personal fortune was another trick, too. It gave her the ability to make any stupid decision she desired. Truly, a brilliant riposte.

For a fleeting second, Serena considered tearing the letter to shreds. But then, before her mind could spiral further down the drain, she caught sight of Lillie out of the corner of her eye. She folded the letter up again and placed it back in her bag.

Lillie returned to the table. There was an expression on her face that Serena had not seen before. Though Lillie's eyes and cheeks were red, there was something there other than embarrassment.

There was hope.

"I apologize for that," said Lillie, taking her seat.

"Please, don't," said Serena. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Still, I wish I had been able to remain calm," said Lillie. "That was-"

Lillie paused. She looked at her lap for a moment. She exhaled through her nose, lips tight, then looked at Serena again.

"That was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," she said.

Serena wasn't sure what to say. All she did was blink.

"So, thank you," said Lillie.

It felt strange to say, but Serena said it anyway.

"You're welcome."

"And, if your offer still stands, I-"

Despite the change in demeanor, it looked like Lillie still had trouble accepting anything from anyone.

"Of _course_ it still stands," said Serena.

"I would like to take you up on it," said Lillie.

"Absolutely, yes," said Serena.

Lillie smiled at her. Serena smiled back. She decided that she had made enough mistakes for one day and that now was the perfect time to get back on track.

In the middle of their silence, Lillie's drink arrived a second time. She gratefully accepted it. She placed her hands around the warm glass, steam rising from it just like Serena's tea. She shut her eyes and sighed.

"I'm not used to this," said Lillie.

"To what?" said Serena.

"To people like you and Ash," said Lillie.

"What do you mean?"

"I've done nothing for either of you, and both of you have done nothing but help me, without me even asking," said Lillie. "I can barely express how grateful I am. I wish I knew how to more appropriately thank you."

"You don't need to do anything more," said Serena.

"I feel like I should," said Lillie.

"Sometimes, it's okay to take without giving in return," said Serena. "I'm still learning that, myself. I know it can be hard. Sometimes, you have to put yourself above others, even if it feels wrong."

"I wish I was better at giving," said Lillie. "I feel like all I do is take."

Serena raised her eyebrows. Lillie did nothing but _give._

"The professor tells me I don't owe him anything, but it feels so wrong to me," said Lillie. "He allows me to stay in his lab for free."

"You _work_ for him. You're his assistant!"

"Yes, but I only received that title because I demanded that he let me do something to repay him. I couldn't stand to impose on him without doing something for him in return."

"Wait, what? How did you end up staying at the lab without being Professor Kukui's assistant first?"

"It's… a long story. I'm not sure I should tell it."

"We have time."

"I mean, I shouldn't tell it _here."_

Lillie pointedly looked in the direction of the other tables with customers. Serena peered over her shoulder. There were only two other people there. Was it really that big of a secret?

Perhaps it was, Serena figured. There was something else for which Lillie was just as protective.

"Is this about _Nebby?"_ she whispered.

Lillie nodded.

"Yes," Lillie whispered back. "I know it must seem strange, but please, don't mention it again. We could easily be overheard in a place as quiet as this."

Serena had to admit that Lillie was right. It was strange. But then, Lillie said something even stranger.

"The short version of the story is that when the professor's wife found out that I needed a place to stay, she convinced him to let me stay in the loft in his lab."

Serena's eyes shot wide open.

"His _wife?"_

The only reasonable explanation was that Lillie was speaking of some other professor. There was no way _that man_ could be married.

"Yes, his wife," said Lillie. "Professor Kukui is married to Professor Burnet, who works at the Dimensional Research Laboratory on Akala Island."

Serena's brain twisted in a hundred different directions all at once. Professor Kukui could not be married. It was not possible. He lacked basic life skills and basic decorum. He spoke like he was half his age. His cooking skills were limited to a single dish which he prepared for all meals regardless of the time of day or occasion. He demonstrated no ability whatsoever to dress himself appropriately. Serena had no reason to believe he owned a shirt, nor shoes that required tying. His regard for his own safety was nonexistent. The building in which he both dwelled and worked was a singularity of ignored consequences, poor impulse control, and property damage.

Serena's pupils shrank. There was someone else she knew who was just like Professor Kukui.

Ash.

Serena's mind scrambled to repair the cracks in the dam. It was a ridiculous comparison. It was unfounded. Professor Kukui was a _professor._ Ash probably could not _spell_ professor. Professor Kukui was a lunatic who encouraged Pokémon to attack him. Ash was an accomplished trainer and a hero. Professor Kukui was immature, incapable of being deep or introspective, and undoubtedly incompetent at meeting the emotional needs of a spouse. Ash was…

Ash was pretty much the same.

"Are you okay?" said Lillie.

"Oh, yes. I'm fine. Just surprised."

Serena wanted brain bleach. She wanted to disconnect the dots. She wanted to unthink the thoughts. Ash and Professor Kukui weren't the same. They weren't. They just weren't. They couldn't be. She took a huge swig of her tea. It scalded her mouth. It burned as it went down her throat. It made her eyes water. It brought her back to reality.

"He's very lucky," said Lillie. "Professor Burnet is such a lovely woman. She has also helped me so much since I arrived here. She…"

Lillie took a long drink from her glass. She put it down, even though she was trying to hide it, Serena saw the smile on her face.

"She's been almost like a real mother to me," said Lillie.

Lillie's smile faded. She stared into her glass.

"You must have a nice mother, letting you travel all over the world like you are," said Lillie.

Serena looked at her teacup. It was still almost full, but she didn't want any more. She had too many things to reconsider.

"I do," she said.

* * *

Serena was glad that Lillie was content to linger over her drink. There was one more thing she had to do before they left the Pokémon Center, and she needed to do it alone.

She sat at the phone kiosk. Despite the burning tea, she was cold. It was just like the last time. Her fingertips jittered. She could not believe she was about to do this. It was insane. She wasn't sure what she hoped to accomplish, but she figured that something was better than nothing.

She had no idea what time it was in Kalos. She didn't even know if it was the same day. She didn't care. It was now or never. If she lost her nerve, she knew she wouldn't find it again.

Hands trembling, she dialed the number. While the phone rang, she wrapped her arms around herself. She waited.

Then, a click.

"Hello?"

"Hi, mom."

 _"Serena?"_

The video feed came in. Grace stared back at her. She was in the kitchen, dressed in her coveralls. It looked dark all around.

"Serena, is that really you? What in the world are you doing calling so early in the morning? Are you alright?"

So many questions. Serena expected them. She expected many more.

"Yes, mom, it's me. I'm okay. I didn't realize it was morning, though. Sorry."

"You didn't realize?" said Grace. "What? Where are you?"

Serena bit her lip. It was time to bite the bullet.

"Alola."

 _"Alola?_ Serena, I-"

"It's okay, mom. I'm doing fine."

"How? How in the world did you get there? And why? You told me you wanted to go to Kanto! What are you doing there?"

"I'm here with Ash. We're staying with a professor who wanted to study Ash and his Pokémon to help with his research. He paid for us to come here."

It wasn't entirely true. Serena hoped it didn't show on her face.

"And I got some help from my friends," she said. She looked up at the brim of her new hat, as though pointing at it with her eyes.

Grace looked like she was going to say something, but instead she exhaled and ran a hand over her forehead. She shook her head, her eyes not visible to the camera.

There was silence. Serena broke it.

"How have you been?" she asked.

Grace looked up at the camera. Her entire face was tight. Her expression softened when she spoke, if only slightly.

"Angry," said Grace. "And worried. I wish you had told me about what was going on sooner. I was concerned that something terrible happened to you."

Guilt. It was so familiar.

"I'm sorry," said Serena.

"I'm just relieved that you're okay," said Grace.

There was more silence. Serena's pulse quickened.

"Mom."

Grace looked confused.

"Yes? I'm here. I can hear you. Can you hear me?"

"I mean it," said Serena. "I'm sorry. I really am."

Grace looked even more confused. She looked as though she were about to say something, but Serena interrupted her.

"I've met someone here," said Serena. "Someone a lot like me, except... I think she had a really bad childhood. She's always afraid of upsetting people. She's so afraid of taking help from anybody. She's not used to people being nice to her. She cried when I told her I considered her a friend."

"I... see," said Grace. Her face fell.

Serena bit her lip. She shook her head.

"And... I think things with her mom are really messed up," she said. "She's around my age, but she's never been allowed to pick out her own clothes. She told me that I must have a really nice mom, letting me travel on my own."

Grace was silent. Serena swallowed.

"I want to help her," she said. "I don't think she's ever had a friend before. I want to be the friend she deserves."

Serena bit her tongue. There was an extended silence.

"Well, I understand why you didn't want to tell me about where you were going," said Grace. She shook her head. "Honestly, I wouldn't have told me, either."

Serena looked directly into the camera. Her mouth hung open.

"I'm sorry, too," said Grace.

Of all the possible outcomes Serena had expected, this was never one of them.

"I've had a lot of time to think," said Grace. "Since the last time we talked, but really, since you left home. We've fought so much over years. It's hard not to think about it, now that it's always so quiet around here."

Serena wasn't certain her heart was beating.

"I feel like I've done nothing but fight my whole life. With my mother, with your father, with other racers, with you. Since you've been gone, this has been the first time in my life I haven't had anyone around to fight with. It made me realize something."

Grace let out a long breath through her nose. She looked into the camera.

"I don't want to fight anymore," she said.

"Mom…"

Serena held a hand over her mouth. She gripped her seat with her other hand, for fear of falling out of it. As if to lighten the mood, Grace pointed at the screen.

"I'm still angry with you, though," she said. "There's no getting around that. I still think you're in over your head, following Ash there. I'm not going to change my mind about that."

Serena's shoulders slumped.

 _"However,"_ said Grace, "you are still my daughter, and I still love you."

Serena could only imagine what Lillie would have thought of this conversation.

"I don't want you to have to be afraid to come home," said Grace. "I want you to know that you're still welcome here, always. I can't promise you that we won't argue, whenever you do come home, but I want to promise you that-"

Grace paused for a moment, thinking about her words.

"That I will do my best to be a better mother," she said.

 _"Mom…"_

Serena had no idea how she was holding back tears. Somehow, they weren't coming. She supposed she was too stunned, her brain too dumbfounded for them.

"I know it won't be easy for me," said Grace. "It hasn't been easy, seeing you leave. But, you're almost all grown up now. You're practically already out on your own. You get to make your own decisions, whether or not I like it. I'm the one who has to learn to handle that. It's your life to live, not mine."

"Mom, I-"

Serena could barely believe her ears. She struggled to make sense of it.

"I- I _promise_ you I will do my best to be a better daughter," she said. "I don't know when I'm going to come home, but I promise I will, one day. I don't want to fight anymore, either. I just- I just want to find out what I'm supposed to be _doing!"_

Grace hid a laugh behind pursed lips. She raised one eyebrow and nodded toward the camera.

"Me too," she said.

Serena narrowed her eyes.

"You mean... for yourself?"

"Yes," said Grace.

"But-"

Serena cut herself off. Nothing made any sense at all.

"One of life's dirty little secrets," said Grace. "Nobody knows what they're doing."

Serena's mouth hung open.

"I think what you're doing sounds like a wonderful idea, though," said Grace. "It sounds like this girl really needs a friend."

"I... I don't know exactly what happened to her," said Serena, "but I know she's had a much harder life than me. The more she reveals about herself, the dumber all of the arguments I've had with you feel."

Grace smirked and looked aside.

"If I had known you were going to demonstrate this kind of maturity when you left with Ash, I wouldn't have been so opposed to it in the first place."

"Mom."

"Sorry! Couldn't resist. How are things going between the two of you?"

"Mom!"

"I'm your mother. It's my job to pry."

Serena covered her eyes with her hands for a few seconds. Her cheeks were already red.

"We're doing our best to take things slow right now," she said. "We're both pretty clueless, so we're trying not to get in over our heads."

"Well, that's good," said Grace.

"I just-"

"Hmm?"

Serena hesitated for a moment. Then, the words rushed out.

"I just thought _this_ was what I wanted to do!" she said. "Being with Ash was the only thing I wanted, and now I am, and I thought it was going to be so different! I thought things were going to be-"

Serena struggled and grasped for the word.

 _"Better,"_ she said.

Grace looked like she had many things to say, but chose to say none of them.

"I thought _I_ was going to be better," said Serena. "I thought I was going to figure things out, but I'm more confused than ever. I have so many thoughts and feelings that don't make sense to me. I'm afraid I'm going to ruin _everything."_

Grace nodded slowly.

"Love has a way of making people feel like that," she said.

"Is this what love is supposed to be like?" said Serena.

Grace shook her head.

"I'm not the right person to ask," said Grace.

"You're my _mom,"_ said Serena.

"And I haven't set a very good example of what love is, have I?" said Grace.

Serena didn't want to answer the question. She didn't have to.

"I wish I had a good answer for you," said Grace. "I think you're going to have to find out the answer for yourself."

Serena stared at the screen, mouth open.

"You really don't know?" said Serena. "You really can't tell me?"

"No," said Grace. "Like I said, nobody knows what they're doing. Certainly not me."

Serena remembered being enraptured by Aria, as she stood beneath the moon, playing the part of the keeper of all her secrets. She hung onto every word like her life depended on it.

What a fool she was.

"I know it's not a satisfying answer, but at least it's an honest one," said Grace. "I wish I could do more to help."

"Well... thank you," said Serena.

"You're welcome, although I'm not sure for what."

"For being honest."

Grace looked like she didn't know what more to say. She looked toward the clock on the wall. She groaned.

"Oh, good grief, the time," she said. "I'm already behind. I'm sorry to cut this short, but I really do need to get going. You know how grumpy Rhyhorn gets when he isn't fed on time in the morning."

"I know," said Serena. She smiled, if only halfway.

"I'm glad you called," said Grace. "I'm not sure how much I can help you, but if you ever need to talk more, I'm right here."

"Thanks, mom."

"I love you. Have a good time!"

At that, Grace waved and turned off the camera. The line clicked off a moment later.

For a few minutes, Serena sat there listening to the dial tone, stunned.

* * *

When Serena returned to the café to find Lillie, she had no idea how to explain what had happened. To her good fortune, Lillie did not pry. Serena found Lillie with her nose buried in a book, her glass empty. She appeared taken by surprise when Serena spoke.

"Okay, I'm ready to go now," said Serena.

"Oh! That was quick," said Lillie.

"Not really?" said Serena. "I was on the phone for a while."

Lillie looked down at her book.

"Oh. Hmm. Well, I suppose that's all the more reason we should head home," she said.

"I hope your shoes will be okay," said Serena. "I'm afraid they may never be the same."

The two of them gathered their belongings and headed for the door. All the while, Lillie's wet shoes squelched with every step.

"I like the rain, usually," said Lillie. "I just prefer to enjoy it from indoors."

They stood in the foyer. Serena opened their umbrella.

"I guess it's great reading weather, isn't it?" said Serena.

"Well, yes, it is," said Lillie.

It sounded like Lillie had more to say. Before she could say anything, the sliding glass doors in front of them automatically opened, and the two of them stepped outside into the rain.

They only walked a few steps before Lillie stopped. When Serena realized Lillie was no longer under the umbrella, she hurried to back up and cover her with it again.

But when she did, she found Lillie with her hat off, staring up into the endless gray sky, squinting as the raindrops hit her face.

"Lillie?" said Serena. She extended the umbrella to her.

Lillie laughed.

"Oh, it's so silly," she said.

"What is?" said Serena.

"I used to think this was perfect _dancing_ weather, too," said Lillie.

"Dancing?"

"When I was little, I saw an old movie on TV. There was a man, singing and dancing in the rain. I was so taken by it that I decided to try it for myself."

Lillie stared up at the sky again.

"My mother saw me out in the rain. She ran right outside after me without even bothering to get an umbrella."

Lillie closed her eyes. A distant, bittersweet smile crossed her face.

"And then, she smiled, and she danced with me in the rain."

Serena closed the umbrella.


	7. The Turning Away

Chapter Seven – The Turning Away

When Serena and Lillie returned to the lab, the fact that they were drenched to the bone was not the strangest occurrence at that moment. Instead, as they approached the lab, Serena noticed two figures standing on the beach in the downpour. Greninja stood tall, focused, staring up into the rain, the water slicking off his skin. Some distance away, out of Greninja's sight, Braixen matched his pose.

Serena left Lillie's side and ran toward the beach.

"Braixen!"

Greninja's head turned in Serena's direction ever so slightly. Braixen did not move at all, not even when Serena ran up beside her.

"What are you doing? Are you okay?"

Braixen clenched her eyes shut. She made an effort to straighten up her posture. She did not succeed. Instead, she shivered. Her fur was matted down, waterlogged. Serena placed a hand on Braixen's shoulder. She was cold to the touch.

"Braixen..."

Braixen opened her eyes. She clenched her teeth, baring her fangs. She straightened up again and growled.

Serena withdrew her hand. The look on Braixen's face was like none she had ever seen. It was beyond determination. It was beyond ferocity. Braixen appeared to be livid, but Serena had no idea with what.

Braixen opened her mouth as if to say something, or perhaps to launch a jet of flame into the sky. But instead, she quivered. Her eyes rolled backward, and so did she. She collapsed.

"Braixen!"

Serena knelt over Braixen. She pressed a finger against her neck. There was a pulse, and it was strong. It was nothing more than fatigue, the predictable effects of a fire type Pokémon spending hours exposed to the rain.

When she rose to her feet, Serena saw Greninja still standing in the same spot, unmoving. She folded her arms. Then, she called to him.

"Ash may be clueless, but I know you're not!"

Greninja's eyes moved to meet Serena. Serena spoke again.

"Why do you keep letting her do this?"

Greninja turned his head. His eyes remained on her. Silent, he stared.

The longer Serena held Greninja's gaze, the more her blood wanted to boil. She tore her eyes away and said nothing.

She turned and knelt down, scooping Braixen up in her arms. Water dripped from Braixen like a wet rag. She was heavy from the weight of it.

Lillie stood beneath the shelter of the front porch, wringing out her braids. She appeared worried as Serena approached.

"Is Braixen alright?" said Lillie. "What happened?"

"She's fine," said Serena. "She just overdid it, that's all."

"Well, that's a relief," said Lillie. "What exactly did she do, though? Why was she out here?"

"She was training with Greninja, I think," said Serena. "Or... she was trying to, anyway."

Lillie pursed her lips. For a moment, she pondered the situation. Her moment of thought was interrupted by a commotion from inside the lab. There was a tremendous crash. Voices shouted. The porch floorboards shook beneath their feet.

Lillie threw the door open, and she and Serena scrambled inside.

Dust settled. Professor Kukui laughed like mad. Ash's legs dangled through a gaping hole in the guest bedroom wall. One of his feet twitched.

Opposite him, there was a cushion missing from the sofa.

* * *

Stufful, Serena learned, was an adorable, timid Pokémon that looked like a plush toy, complete with a vestigial tail that looked like a price tag. Furthermore, due to its strength which substantially exceeded its size, as well as its quick temper, it was widely feared as one of the most dangerous Pokémon in Alola. Naturally, Professor Kukui kept one for research purposes.

As Lillie explained, Stufful was responsible for the majority of the holes in the walls of the lab. Due to its reclusive nature, it preferred to spend its time hidden among the similarly squashy cushions of the sofa, and it tended to react violently when disturbed. Ash, for his part, forgot about the restriction against touching the sofa and took one of the cushions to reinforce his pillow fort. He spent the rest of the day lying on his cot, nursing a splitting headache and a sore back. Serena and Lillie, after changing into dry clothes, spent the rest of the day repairing the massive hole left in Ash's bedroom wall. Every so often, Serena checked on him and refreshed his ice pack, which he held against his throbbing head.

Wrapped in a towel, Braixen spent the rest of the day huddled in a corner of the living room, refusing to talk to anyone. Every now and then, she glanced out the window.

After yet another Alolan Plate for dinner, Serena collapsed on her cot and fell asleep in minutes, exhausted. Not even Lillie writing in her diary late into the night could keep her awake.

The next day, Serena remained exhausted. Ash was so stiff he could barely walk, so Serena and her Pokémon became Professor Kukui's focus for the day. She spent hour after hour on the beach, repeating the same moves over and over again for Professor Kukui to record. By the end of the day, she was so tired that she went to bed without eating. Later that evening, she woke up to the feeling of a hand on her shoulder.

Lillie and Cutiefly both loomed over her. Cutiefly chirped excitedly. Lillie beamed. Serena squinted at them.

"I apologize for disturbing you, but I thought you might like to hear the news," said Lillie.

"News?" said Serena.

"Professor Burnet called," said Lillie. "She has finished up everything she needs to do at the Dimensional Research Laboratory for this week, so she is going to take tomorrow off and come here for a long weekend visit."

Serena tried to piece it all together in her head. Days of the week still existed. It was easy to forget. Today was… Thursday? Yes, that was it. It was Thursday evening. It all made sense.

"Professor Kukui suggested we might all take a camping trip to Melemele Meadow for a night or two," said Lillie. "It's supposed to beautiful this time of year, from what I have read."

The next morning, Serena slept late. When she awoke, she was unsure at first whether or not her exchange with Lillie had been a dream. When she went downstairs, her question was answered. She found herself face-to-face with a woman she had never seen before.

"Ah, you must be Serena."

Serena's lips parted, but nothing came out. She had no doubt the woman before her was Professor Burnet, because she was every bit the oddity that Professor Kukui was. She was dark, but it wasn't clear if that was her natural skin tone or a very deep tan. Her hair added to the mystery. It was several shades beyond platinum blonde, almost entirely white. Serena could not imagine intentionally dying one's hair such a color, yet she also could not imagine it was natural. Professor Burnet looked far too young to have grayed so much. She was in incredible shape. She wore a slim-fitting tank top and leggings, with a hoodie cinched around her waist. A large green barrette secured her hair, but she wore it backward.

Despite the strangeness, Professor Burnet had the warmest smile Serena had ever seen. She extended a hand to Serena.

"It's great to finally meet you! I've heard so much. All good, I promise."

Serena paused for a moment before accepting the handshake. There was no one else around.

"Thank you," she said. "It's nice to meet you, too. I only heard about you very recently, though."

Serena felt foolish as soon as she said it. Professor Burnet gave her a curious look.

"Oh _really?"_ said Burnet. She exaggerated the surprise in her voice, placing her hands on her hips. "Now, isn't that typical?"

Professor Burnet laughed. Serena felt her brain connect more dots against her will. Ash wasn't the only one who neglected to tell anyone about his significant other, it seemed. Unwilling to give that thought any time to sink in, Serena spoke again.

"Lillie spoke very highly of you!" she said, hurrying to say something, anything to move the conversation forward.

"What a coincidence!" Burnet said, raising one eyebrow. "Lillie spoke very highly of you, too."

Serena's awkward smile turned to a flat expression of surprise.

"She did?"

"Yes, she did," said Burnet. "And I'll have you know, that's not a common occurrence."

"It isn't?"

Professor Burnet took a step backward and leaned against the kitchen counter. She crossed her arms.

"Not exactly," she said. "Lillie's such a kind soul. She would never speak poorly of anyone, but sometimes there's a difference in the way she talks about people, you know?"

Serena hoped the question was rhetorical, because she did not answer. Instead, Professor Burnet seemed to read her mind and answered the question she wanted to ask.

"She told me you were becoming a real friend to her," said Burnet.

Serena rubbed a hand on her bare arm and looked aside.

"Well, I've been trying," she said.

"I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear Lillie say that," said Burnet. "I don't know how much you know about her upbringing, and it's not my place to share that with you, but if you become her friend, you will be her first."

"I... kind of thought I might be," said Serena.

"As surprising as that was, she told me something more surprising," said Burnet.

Serena met Professor Burnet's eyes again.

"Oh?"

"Yes," said Burnet, a smirk forming on the corner of her mouth. "She told me that Cutiefly appears quite taken with you."

"Is that weird?" said Serena. "Cutiefly seems really friendly."

"Well, she _is_ friendly," said Burnet, "but yes, it's weird because you're the only person other than Lillie that Cutiefly is drawn toward."

Serena tried to piece together what Professor Burnet meant by all of this, but none of the pieces seemed to fit together. She shook her head.

"I... don't see what's weird about that," she said. "Cutiefly likes us both. What's the big deal? I mean, Lillie and I are kind of alike, and Cutiefly is, like, her Pokémon or something. I'm not really sure?"

Serena finished her statement with a confused shrug. Professor Burnet smiled and shook her head.

"You're not from Alola, correct?" said Burnet.

"I'm from Kalos."

"So, you're not familiar with Cutiefly, are you?"

"No."

Professor Burnet unfolded her arms and placed her palms on the counter. She leaned her head forward slightly and held Serena's gaze.

"Cutiefly are empaths," said Burnet. "They can sense people's emotions. They see people's auras. The old myths about them say that they are drawn toward people with auras that resemble those of flowers."

Serena looked down at her floral shirt. Surely that was not the cause. She couldn't imagine what kind of flower she resembled. It made sense for Lillie, though.

"In practice," said Burnet, "what that means is that Cutiefly tend to gravitate toward people experiencing strong emotions."

Serena's eyes shot upward again. Professor Burnet stared at her expectantly, her eyebrows raised. Serena's face went flat with surprise again. Her mind lurched. She recalled everything she had heard about a Pokémon's feelings tending to mirror those of their trainers. Her, Braixen. Ash, Greninja. Lillie, Cutiefly?

Surely Professor Burnet was not implying _that._

 _"Good_ emotions?" said Serena.

"Not necessarily."

Serena wasn't sure if that offered her any comfort.

"What does all this mean, though?" she said.

"Beats me!" said Burnet. She shrugged. "It's still pretty incredible, I think."

"Why?"

"Do you know how Lillie and Cutiefly met?"

"No, actually. I've never asked."

"Cutiefly is not Lillie's Pokémon. She's wild. She just showed up one day, not long after Lillie arrived."

Serena did nothing but stare.

"You're the only person other than Lillie she seems to trust. It was because of Cutiefly's behavior toward you that Lillie was so willing to open up to you."

* * *

The next several hours unfolded in a whirlwind of activity. Serena discovered that despite the similarities to her husband, Professor Burnet was not the type to go riding on the back of a Sharpedo to travel from place to place, and as such, actually owned a car. And, Serena learned, they would all be piling into that car along with an assortment of camping gear, as it would be necessary to travel by road to reach Melemele Meadow in a timely manner.

So, after a veritable circus attempting to load the car with everyone and everything, Serena spent the next few hours sandwiched between Ash and Lillie in the middle of the back seat. While Professor Burnet drove, Professor Kukui never stopped talking, pointing out every single landmark along the way. Ash and Pikachu seemed pleased to receive a guided tour, but on Serena's other side, Lillie constantly soothed Nebby to try to keep it asleep despite the noise. All the while, Cutiefly remained perched on the brim of Serena's hat.

When they finally stopped, Serena checked her tablet. They were all the way on the opposite side of Melemele Island from the lab. They parked at a visitor's center and unloaded the car. They were in a lush, green area at the base of a mountain. Ahead, past the visitor's center, a trail led into the jungle and up into the mountain above.

With Nebby in her arms, Lillie looked up at the top of the mountain.

"We're not climbing all the way up there, are we?" she said.

"You bet we are!" said Professor Kukui. "Melemele Meadow is in the caldera of this volcano! Don't worry, though. It's long since extinct."

Serena stopped to read a large informational sign posted near the head of the trail. An illustrated diagram confirmed what Professor Kukui said.

"It's a bit of a hike," said Professor Burnet. "I'm sure you can handle it, though."

Lillie did not look like she agreed.

"I hope you're right," said Lillie. She gazed nervously at the trailhead which awaited them. "It doesn't seem like I have much of a choice…"

And so, they began their trek along the trail. Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet carried the majority of their gear, each with a large pack on their back. Ash carried a third, smaller bag, replacing his usual backpack. Serena and Lillie both only had to carry their usual personal bags.

For Lillie's sake, Serena was grateful for it. She lingered in the rear with Lillie, watching over her and Nebby. Cutiefly hovered around, appearing concerned. It was clear why. From the beginning, Lillie struggled. Serena offered to take Nebby to lighten Lillie's load, but when Lillie eventually agreed, Serena discovered that Nebby was practically weightless. It made no difference at all.

After about half an hour, Serena also took Lillie's bag. Lillie stopped talking. The path became steeper and steeper as they emerged above the canopy. Lillie walked with her head down. When they reached a section with a sheer cliff face, the sea waiting far below, she braced herself against the rocky wall for support.

An hour into their hike, Lillie began to fall even further behind the rest of the group. Lagging behind, Serena asked Cutiefly to go catch up with Ash and bring him back. Cutiefly flew off, and Serena told Lillie to stop.

Lillie complied without a word of protest. She plopped roughly onto the ground, leaning her back against the cliff face. She breathed heavily. Sweat ran down her face.

Serena pulled a bottle of water from her bag. Lillie had already consumed the entire bottle in her own bag. Serena twisted off the cap and passed it to Lillie.

Lillie shook her head.

"Isn't that yours?" Lillie said between breaths.

Serena also shook her head. She had not even broken a sweat.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "You need it. I don't."

"I can't take it."

"Yes, you can."

"It's yours."

"You need to take it."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not," said Serena. She grabbed Lillie by the wrist, wrapped Lillie's fingers around the bottle, and pushed it toward her.

Still, Lillie did not drink. Instead, she moved as though she were going to stand.

"Lillie, please," said Serena. "Stop. Don't do this to yourself."

"I can do this," said Lillie. She pushed against the ground, sliding her back against the cliff wall as she tried to stand. Her knees shook. "Professor Burnet… she knows I can."

Serena looked ahead. Professor Burnet and Professor Kukui were far ahead on the trail, ascending a long, winding path of stone steps which looked like they led to the summit.

"She's right that you can do it, but not if you refuse to take care of yourself," said Serena. "Not if you keep refusing help when you need it."

"I don't need help," said Lillie. Hunched over, she took a shaky step forward, then stopped.

"Lillie, please," said Serena. "Please listen to me. You're going to get yourself hurt."

Or, as Serena thought but did not say, _killed._ One slip on the cliffside path would be all it took.

"I have to keep going," said Lillie. She took another staggering step forward. "I have to be stronger than this…"

"Heat exhaustion and dehydration won't make you stronger!" said Serena.

"I have to protect-"

Cutiefly came buzzing around the corner. A moment later, Pikachu appeared behind her.

Lillie stumbled. She fell to her knees.

 _"Nebby…"_

Lillie held one arm flat against the cliff wall. She leaned her head against it, knocking her hat off. Serena caught it as it tumbled away. Lillie slumped against the wall, then sank to the ground.

Ash appeared from around the corner.

"Ash!" said Serena.

"What's going on?" said Ash. His eyes moved from Serena to Lillie, then widened. Along with Cutiefly and Pikachu, he ran up to Lillie. He knelt beside her.

"Lillie!" he said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," said Lillie. She shook her head, trying to hide her eyes, but she had no hat behind which to hide them.

Serena held Nebby under one arm and Lillie's hat under the other. She joined Lillie and Ash, standing over them both.

"No, she isn't," said Serena. "She's exhausted and she won't drink any water or take a break."

"I have to be able to do this," said Lillie. "I have to keep going…"

"Hey, that's the spirit!" said Ash.

 _"What?"_

The word left Serena's mouth before a single thought crossed her mind. Nobody seemed to hear her.

"We'll have you back on your feet in no time," said Ash. "You've just gotta catch your breath first. Have a drink!"

"Oh… Okay…"

With only minimal hesitation, Lillie raised the bottle of water to her lips. She took one sip, then another, and then a long drink. In no time at all, half the bottle was gone.

Indignant, Serena's brow creased. She pursed her lips, and her grip on Nebby tightened.

"I can't be this weak," said Lillie. "I have to be stronger for Nebby."

Despite being held under Serena's arm like a football, Nebby remained fast asleep.

"It was my fault…" said Lillie. "I couldn't run fast enough. I couldn't keep going…"

Ash stood up. He extended a hand to her.

"Don't give up until it's over!" he said.

Serena's eyes shot wide open. There was no way she heard him right. It was some kind of mistake.

He did not just use _their phrase_ with Lillie. He couldn't have.

She wanted to go back and listen to it again to be sure, but it was too late. The words were gone. Their echoes vanished into the air around them. There was no way to rewind.

Lillie took Ash's hand. Ash gripped her hand and helped pull her to her feet.

"I'm not sure about this…" said Lillie. Her knees shook. She did not appear to be capable of walking.

Serena knew it was because Lillie needed more than a minute of rest to recover, but she said nothing. She couldn't. Her voice was gone. She could not make a sound. Meanwhile, Cutiefly zipped and zoomed about, buzzing and chirping feverishly.

"No need to worry!" said Ash. "We're almost there. I know what we can do."

Serena did not understand how, but her body acted without her permission. A few moments later, she took Ash's backpack from him as he handed it to her. Before she knew what happened, it was over her shoulders, and Lillie's hat was back on her head.

And then, Ash knelt down in front of Lillie, his back facing her.

"Climb on," he said.

Both Lillie and Serena's faces flushed.

"I… I don't know about this," said Lillie. "Are you sure?"

"No doubt!" said Ash. "We'll have you at the top in no time."

Serena wasn't sure if there was any further exchange of words or any more awkwardness as Lillie climbed onto Ash's back. All she knew was that she watched Lillie wrap her arms around Ash's shoulders and her legs around his waist, and Ash hook his arms around the back of Lillie's legs. He rose to his feet.

"Ready?" he said.

It was not until Pikachu poked her leg that Serena realized the question was intended for her. Without thinking, she nodded.

Then, she stood there dumbfounded, her face burning as Ash and Lillie disappeared around the bend. Cutiefly followed them, singing a cheerful tune. Pikachu stood with her for a while, waiting for her to move. Eventually, he gave up and ran to catch up with Ash.

* * *

After overcoming the shock, Serena was quick to make up for lost time. Even as fit as he was, Ash was not capable of a particularly fast pace while carrying someone else on his back. It took Serena only a couple of minutes to reach them again on the trail. When she approached, she found Lillie predictably flustered by her circumstances.

Lillie turned her head, noticed Serena, and looked even more embarrassed.

"Oh! There you are," said Lillie.

Serena gave Lillie a bemused look.

"Yeah, hi. It's me," said Serena.

Lillie turned her head to speak to Ash.

"It looks like Serena didn't have any trouble catching up to us," she said. "I do hope I'm not weighing you down too terribly. You were having so much trouble yesterday after what happened with Stufful."

"Nah, I'm fine," said Ash. "Serena's quick! That's all. We traveled together for a long time. She's got lots of experience with this."

Serena knew what Ash meant, but she could not help but think that from her perspective, no, she did not have lots of experience with _this._ This was the first time she had experienced seeing her boyfriend in such close contact with another girl. Her arms were around his neck. His hands were on her legs.

Serena shook her head. She knew she had to snap out of it.

"Ash is fine," said Serena. "How are you, though? Are you still lightheaded?"

"I suppose I'm feeling better," said Lillie. "I'm not sure I'm well enough to walk on my own, though. This cliff..."

Lillie eyed the drop to the sea below, only a few steps away. She quickly turned her head the other way and shuddered.

"I'm... not fond of heights," she said.

"Haha! Don't worry about it!" said Ash. "I've fallen from higher than this a bunch of times."

Lillie tensed up. So did Serena.

"That's not particularly reassuring!" said Lillie.

"It's no big deal as long as you don't hit the ground," said Ash.

"Well, yes," said Lillie. "You can't count on Tapu Koko saving you every time, though!"

Serena wondered if Lillie was correct about that.

"Maybe," said Ash. "I'm pretty lucky, though."

"I would prefer not to have to rely on luck!" said Lillie.

"Yeah, but sometimes you have to," said Ash. "I've done tons of things I wasn't sure I could do. The only way to find out is to try!"

"That may be true, but I have no interest in finding out if I can survive a fall from this cliff!" said Lillie. "So if you could, please, put some more distance between us and the edge!"

"Yeah, okay," said Ash. He laughed as he veered away from the edge of the cliff. Lillie sighed.

"Thank you," she said. "I do apologize, though. I don't mean to be so demanding. I'm in no position to demand anything of you."

"It's alright," said Ash. "I'm kinda crazy, you know?"

Serena restrained a snort of laughter. It was an unexpected moment of candor.

"I don't know if I would say _that,"_ said Lillie.

"Well, I would!" said Ash. "Just ask Serena. She knows."

The corner of Serena's mouth turned upward. Maybe Ash really was learning something, after all.

"Ash has never met a dangerous situation he didn't like," said Serena.

"I can't say I share that perspective," said Lillie. "Who am I to judge, though? I always have to rely on others for help."

"Nothing wrong with that," said Ash. "Everyone's gotta get help from someone else sometime."

"For me it seems like it's _all_ the time," said Lillie.

"No one can do it all alone," said Ash. "I know I sure can't."

"Are you quite sure you're alright carrying me?" said Lillie. "If you need to rest, please don't hesitate. I know I'm being a burden on you. Rather literally, in fact."

Had Nebby not been in her arms, Serena would have folded them.

 _"Lillie,"_ she said. "Ash is- _Ash!"_

Ash stumbled. Lillie shrieked. Ash fell forward and landed on his knees. A loose rock slipped from beneath his foot and went tumbling past Serena, off the cliff face and into the abyss below.

Serena ran to reach the two of them. As she did, Nebby stirred in her arms. Lillie lost her grip on Ash and fell off, landing on her bottom behind him. Her hat went askew.

 _"Oh goodness, oh goodness, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"_ she said, hyperventilating. "Are you okay? Please tell me I didn't hurt you! I'm so sorry!"

Ash stood and dusted himself off. He was unfazed. A scraped knee appeared to be the extent of his injuries.

"I'm fine!" he said. He tried to wave off Lillie's concerns. "I'm okay, really! Don't worry about it! Are you alright?"

"Yes, but I'm so sorry! I knew I was weighing you down, I shouldn't have accepted your ride, I-"

Serena stepped past Lillie. As she did, she slipped Nebby, now crying, into Lillie's arms. She walked up to Ash and pulled him aside. She whispered to him, eyes level with him.

"Are you _really_ okay?" she said.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Ash.

"You really scared me there for a second."

"Yeah, that got the heart rate up," said Ash. He ran a hand over the back of his neck. "Sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to."

"I know," said Serena. "It's okay. This is different. You slipped. I'm just glad you're okay."

Behind her, Lillie wrapped Nebby up in her arms and tried to hush its cries. Ash moved his hand from the back of his neck to the back of his head. He scratched.

"I still feel like I should apologize," he said. "You know. After everything you said."

The worry on Serena's face softened.

"Apology accepted," she said. "But don't end up apologizing all the time, like a certain someone, okay?"

Serena looked over her shoulder. Lillie remained on the ground, rocking Nebby in her arms. While she attempted to steady her rapid breaths, she whispered to Nebby.

"It's okay. You're okay. You're safe. We're all safe. I'm sorry I scared you."

Lillie caught sight of Serena's glance. She looked up at her.

"I'm so, so sorry," said Lillie. "I didn't mean to frighten everyone like that. This is all my fault."

Serena frowned.

"Lillie, please," she said. "Ash just tripped! It's okay!"

"I knew it wasn't a good idea for me to come along for this trip," said Lillie. "I- I should have stayed back at the lab. None of this would have happened if I weren't here."

Serena found herself at a loss for words once again. As much as she wanted to disagree, she knew that Lillie was _technically_ correct.

* * *

After calming Nebby, it took longer to convince Lillie that she still needed Ash's help and to get her on his back again than it did for them to reach the summit. When they arrived, Serena's jaw dropped.

They passed through a tunnel and emerged into a sweeping valley. Between the rocky outcroppings of the caldera, every inch of the valley was in bloom, blanketed by a carpet of golden flowers. The innumerable petals and stems swayed in the gentle breeze, rolling like waves. A sweet, rich aroma hung in the air. The entire valley was bathed in a soft yellow light.

Chittering with excitement, Cutiefly zoomed past Serena's head and landed atop a flower in the nearest grove. She sipped from the blossom, buzzed, then hopped to the next one and did the same. Lillie climbed down from Ash's back, standing on her own two feet again. Serena handed Nebby to her, then went to Ash. She slipped her hand into his and pulled him forward.

They walked to the edge of the rocky platform on which they stood, the expanse of the golden meadow stretching out ahead of them. Serena closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose. All was calm. The sweet air invigorated her, lifting her as though pulled up by strings around her shoulders.

When she spoke, she was breathless.

"This is amazing," she said.

"Yeah, it is," said Ash.

"I've never seen anything so beautiful."

Ash did not reply, but there was no need. Words seemed pointless. There was nothing more to say.

In the distance, on a tall outcropping, Serena saw Professor Burnet and Professor Kukui sitting next to each other, their legs dangling over the edge. They chatted about something, their words lost to the distance and the wind. They were too far away to be sure, but it looked like they were also holding hands.

Serena tightened her grip on Ash's hand. Regardless of whether or not they were on a break, she was not letting go of him. Not right now. Not in this glorious moment of peace and quiet. For a while, they basked in the pale golden light, breathing in the crisp air. Not a word was said.

Not until Lillie broke the silence.

"Nebby, no! Come back!"

Serena's eyes darted toward Lillie, who shakily ran toward the edge of the outcropping. Ahead of her, a faint glimpse of purple disappeared into the flowers, the petals shaking like a wake as Nebby waded through them.

Lillie cupped her hands over her mouth like a megaphone. Her knees knocked together as she called after Nebby.

"Nebby, please! You're only just becoming well again! I can't see you! I can't protect you! You could get hurt! Or, worse..."

Lillie looked toward Serena and Ash, her face full of worry. Before Serena could say anything, Ash's hand slipped from hers. He ran to Lillie's side.

"I'll get Nebby back!" he said. "Don't worry!"

He hopped down from the ledge and waded into the sea of flowers below.

"Pikachu! You know what to do, buddy!"

Pikachu joined Ash in the meadow. Ash reached for his belt and removed two Poké Balls from their clips. He tossed them high, and they opened.

"Greninja! Rowlet! Search from the air!"

Ash ran off. Serena remained there with Lillie.

For a moment, Serena thought Lillie was going to say something, but then Lillie covered her face with her hands and sank to her knees.

"Not again..." Lillie groaned.

Unsure what else to do, Serena placed a hand on Lillie's shoulder. Lillie gasped at the touch and looked up at her.

"Nebby's going to be alright," said Serena. "Ash will find it. Everything will be fine."

"I can't keep doing this," said Lillie.

"It's okay," said Serena. "We're your friends. We help each other."

Lillie paused for a moment before shaking her head.

"That's not what I mean," she said. "I mean I can't keep losing Nebby."

"Nebby's a troublemaker," said Serena. She shrugged. "What can you do?"

"I don't know," said Lillie. "That's what's so troublesome. I don't know how Nebby keeps escaping. I try so hard, but... I can't lose Nebby. I _can't."_

"I know Nebby means a lot to you," said Serena.

"There's... more to it than that, actually," said Lillie.

"Huh?" said Serena. One of her eyebrows shot upward. Lillie looked away.

"I- I'm so sorry. I can't say. Not right now."

Serena's eyes narrowed. She shook her head.

"I don't understand," she said.

"I know," said Lillie. "I'm sorry. I really am. Please, I know I ask enough of you already, but... I need your help. _Please,_ help Ash find Nebby."

"I-"

Serena had so many questions, but there was something about Lillie's tone that unnerved her. Not since their first encounter had she sounded so desperate.

"Okay."

Serena reached into her bag, pulled out her Poké Balls, and jumped down the ledge into the meadow. As she waded in, she looked back at Lillie.

Lillie knelt there with her hands folded and her head bowed, as if in prayer.

* * *

It took two hours to find Nebby. As Serena pieced together from the exchanges she witnessed between her Pokémon and Ash's, part of the problem was that Nebby's scent was sweet, much like the flowers of the meadow. Serena had not been aware of Nebby having any particular scent while she carried it, but the explanation made some sense, as tracking Nebby proved abnormally difficult. The flowers formed a canopy which hid everything on the ground below, and the constant breeze made it impossible to track Nebby's movements via the movements of the flowers.

Naturally, it was Ash who found Nebby. After happening upon a small crevice in one of the caldera walls, he crawled through it and found Nebby exploring a dank, dimly-lit cave on the other side. According to his story, Nebby did not resist his attempts to retrieve it. In fact, Nebby came puffing right up to him, delighted to see him, and behaved the entire way back out of the cave and through the meadow.

Exhausted from her own failure of a search, in which she and her Pokémon crawled through the meadow on hands and knees in an effort to comb the entire area, Serena watched Ash explain all this to Lillie. Lillie stood there, enraptured by Ash's story, her bag shaking and thrashing like mad while she stood as still as a statue, awe in her eyes.

As Ash neared the end of his story, Serena held her breath. There was a piece of her mind that expected Lillie to throw her arms around Ash. When Lillie folded her hands and bowed her head politely, Serena felt silly for ever entertaining the thought. Instead, Lillie thanked Ash effusively, again and again until she was red in the face. It went on for several minutes, steadily becoming more and more awkward, interrupted only by the arrival of Professor Burnet and Professor Kukui. Serena was relieved for it to come to an end.

It was late afternoon. After Professor Kukui had a laugh at the story of the chase, he explained that they were interested in setting up camp for the night. He and Professor Burnet led the way to an alcove along the edge of the valley that was sheltered from the wind. As the sky began to turn golden like the rest of the valley around them, everyone shed down their gear and began the work of setting up their campsite. A fire was built, and food preparations began. To everyone's good fortune, it was Professor Burnet who did the cooking. That meant no Alolan Plate tonight.

While Professor Burnet was occupied with their meal, Professor Kukui brought up the sleeping arrangements.

"Four tents!" he said, holding up four fingers. "The big one is for the two of us. The other three are for the three of you!"

Thus began the work of setting up the tents. The tents were placed in a circle around the campfire. On one side, there was the large tent for the professors. Ash's tent was on the opposite side. On the two adjacent sides, Serena and Lillie's tents stood opposite each other.

All throughout the setup of the campsite, and continuing through dinner, something caught Serena's attention. Lillie seemed to be keeping closer to Ash than usual. She followed him everywhere. After noticing the configuration of the tents, Serena began trying to keep herself between the two of them at all times. It proved more difficult than she expected. It was like Lillie was glued to him.

After dinner, as night fell, Ash regaled everyone with stories from his adventures over the years. He had a willing audience. Lillie hung onto every word. All the while, Serena sat there tuned out, only chiming in occasionally when Ash missed some important detail. None of these stories were news to her. She had heard all of them before. She had even been there for some of them. So, she found herself with plenty of time to think. Perhaps too much.

The image of Lillie on Ash's back, red in the face, arms and legs around him, was burned into her brain. It stuck in the back of her mind like an itch. The more she scratched it, the worse it itched. She knew it was all nonsense. It was insane. Lillie was bashful and easily flustered under normal conditions. Social interaction of any variety was apparently new to her. How could she not be flustered by being in such close quarters with Ash? How could she not be grateful to him? She had every reason to be.

And yet, no matter how much Serena tried to quell it, it was still there. None of it made sense.

By the time everyone decided to turn in for the night, she still had not made sense of it. All of the Pokémon with them were let out to keep watch over the campsite, and everyone retired to their tents. Inside her tent, Serena changed into her pajamas on mental autopilot. She was too restless to even lay down. Instead, she sat on her sleeping bag, hunched over in thought. She remained that way for some time.

A rustling sound from outside derailed her train of thought. She jumped in surprise. She had no idea how long she had been seated, but her legs ached from being crossed for so long. While her heartbeat returned to normal, curiosity got the best of her. She rose to her knees and unzipped the very top of her tent's entrance, just enough for her to peek outside with one eye.

All she saw was Lillie's tent opposite hers, the smoldering remains of the campfire in between. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

She sat once again. The silence all around her was excruciating in contrast to the cacophony in her head. She had so much to say. She was sure she would explode if she did not speak, but she had no one to speak to, not even herself.

An idea occurred to her. She reached for the zipper again. Gently, she tugged. Determined not to make a sound, she pulled it down, undoing it one clasp at a time until there was enough space for her head.

She leaned forward and stuck her head through the opening. She looked to both sides. There was nothing to see. All remained quiet. The tents were all motionless. There was no sign of activity. Professor Kukui's Rockruff and Professor Burnet's Munchlax both snoozed beside the remains of the campfire, evidently sleeping on guard duty.

Emboldened, Serena undid the rest of the zipper in the same silent manner. She stepped outside the tent. Then, as soon as she was on her feet, there was light.

She spun around. On a high ledge above, she saw Braixen silhouetted against the starry night sky, her blazing wand held high like a torch. Braixen gazed down at her in the flickering light. Their eyes met for a moment, and then Braixen turned her back. She extinguished her wand and walked away, passing out of Serena's line of sight.

Careful not to trip over the sleeping Pokémon behind her, Serena tiptoed her way backward so she could see more on top of the ledge. She stepped past Lillie's tent, then all the way to the edge of the meadow. She peered through the darkness.

High up on the ledge, bathed in the dim starlight, she saw the familiar form of Braixen, arms folded, staring into the distance. Opposite her, his back turned, was Greninja. In between the two, Sylveon animatedly pointed at the stars with her feelers, tracing shapes in the heavens while Pancham, Pikachu, and Rowlet sat there and listened. Above them all, Cutiefly zoomed around and around, dancing in the patterns Sylveon traced.

Serena's eyes settled on Braixen. She folded her own arms. Whatever was going on between Braixen and Greninja was a mystery to her. She knew there was _something_ happening with them. _Something_ had been happening for a long time. At times, Serena had suspected it was love. Whatever was happening now did not look very much like love.

If Pokémon's feelings mirrored those of their trainers, Serena was not sure she wanted to know what it all meant.

Then again, perhaps it made sense. There was so much she wasn't saying. Her eyes drifted toward Ash's tent. They narrowed.

Stepping silently, she inched her way toward Ash's tent. She held her breath as she took hold of the zipper and began to pull slowly, undoing it just as she had done to her own. The longer it took, the more she feared what she might find inside.

But when she stuck her head inside, all she found was Ash, sound asleep.

Serena stepped into the tent. Careful not to make a sound, she slowly closed the zipper behind her. Then, she crawled up beside his shoulder, lowered her head toward his, and whispered into his ear.

 _"Ash."_

Her voice was barely audible, barely there at all, barely more than a breath. Ash did not respond. His slow, steady breaths continued. Serena placed a hand on his shoulder and tried again.

"Ash."

Again, nothing. She jostled his shoulder.

"Ash, it's me. Can you hear me?"

Ash's lips parted. His head moved. Heavy with sleep, the lids of his eyes opened. His eyes landed on Serena, but Serena saw no recognition in them. He blinked slowly again, then once more before his pupils slid into focus. He drew breath as if to speak.

At lightning speed, Serena held one finger to his lips and another to her own, hushing him. It took Ash several more seconds to comprehend his surroundings.

"It's okay," Serena whispered to him. Her finger fell from his lips, and she placed her hand on his shoulder again. "It's me."

"Serena?" Ash whispered back.

"Yes."

"What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Everyone is okay," said Serena. "I am, too. I just..."

"What's up?" said Ash.

"I felt like I needed to be with you right now."

It was a few seconds before Ash said anything.

"Okay."

Serena lowered herself to the ground next to Ash. She lay beside him. She moved her hand from his shoulder to his chest, wrapping her arm around him. It reminded her so much of another starlit encounter, one which would have landed them in just as much trouble had they been caught.

As though compelled to do it, she nuzzled up to him and kissed him on the cheek. She felt Ash go tense beneath her touch.

"Um... our break?" he said.

Serena leaned her head against his shoulder, clenched her eyes shut, and sighed.

"I know," she said. "I know. We shouldn't be doing this. But... I really need a cuddle right now."

"Are you sure everything is okay?" said Ash.

"No. But, please. Just cuddle me. I need this."

Ash turned toward her. He put his arm around her. He pulled her in closer, her head against his chest. She breathed in his scent. She tightened her grip on him.

This was perfect, she decided. This was what she wanted, the only thing she desired in life. She wanted nothing more than to exist like this, right here with him in perfect closeness and calm, forever. She did not want it to end. She could not bear to interrupt it. She did not dare give voice to the multitude of thoughts and feelings swimming in her head. They were nothing. This was everything.

Serena's thoughts, structured and rigid, began to change. Her sense of reality metamorphosed. New thoughts followed old ones with no logical link between them. In the span of a few minutes, she went from the tent to some unimaginable place, some unnatural blend of places both familiar and unfamiliar, joined by impossible alien geometries. People spoke in incomprehensible tongues, asking nonsensical questions which received equally illogical answers. Serena drifted, lost in space, suspended in time.

And then there was silence. Darkness. She was dragged down, down deep through the recesses of her own mind. At the very bottom, she saw a shimmering light. She drew near to it. It grew in her vision. It was not some distant star, some amorphous ball of light. It had a shape, and a color. The shape was like a lampshade... no, perhaps a dress. The color was like the sky, but not during the day. Not at night, either. Something in between.

A veil parted. Behind it was nothing. Nothing at all. A gaping maw of emptiness. Fear grew in Serena's stomach. That _thing,_ that horrible creature, had returned. It was coming closer, drawing nearer with every passing second. It was just like before. She was frozen. She couldn't move. She wanted to run, but her limbs were immobile, paralyzed. She felt warmth beneath them. She felt Ash. He was there. He could save her. But he was asleep, unaware of the danger. She tried to speak. Nothing happened. Her lips and her tongue resisted her attempts to make them move. She tried to scream. Nothing happened.

It was coming closer. It was right in front of her eyes. It was too late. Any second, it would touch her. The void inside it, the empty socket inside of its head, beckoned to her. It was going to devour her, consume her, smother her. It was going to take her, supplant her, destroy her, end her. Her heart thundered. She tried to move, to no avail. She tried to scream, again and again. No matter how hard she tried, she could not find her voice. She could not make a sound.

The hideous creature's dangling tendrils reached for her. Her heart felt as though it were going to explode. Her head felt as though it would split. Her throat felt as though it would rupture from her unending effort to force air through it. A chill descended upon her. The shroud of death lowered itself over her head.

Her heart stopped. Her mind shattered. A searing lash of pain ran from her eyes to the back of her head, all the way down her spine. In an instant, before it was ever truly there, it was gone. Her eyes jolted open. Her limbs spasmed. She gasped for air.

Serena bolted upright. She clutched her hands over the top of her head. She heaved for breath, her face damp with cool sweat. Ash lay there next to her, sound asleep, completely unaware.

A dream. It was nothing but a dream. It wasn't real. It was a nightmare. It was all in her mind. She understood it was sleep paralysis. What she did not understand was why tears were flooding her eyes.

Hands still on top of her head, she looked upward. There was nothing but the roof of the tent. She moved one hand to cover her hammering heart, and the other to cover her face. In silence, tears fell. She slumped over backward, lying apart from Ash. She slid her hand down her face and covered her mouth. Staring at the roof of the tent, wide-eyed, she tried desperately not to sob. She would surely wake the entire camp. She could not be caught.

Serena shook as she tried to steady her breathing, crying in silence. Minutes passed. The tears stopped, but her heart and her head throbbed. She looked to Ash. He had not moved. He had no idea.

She inched closer to him. She hovered over his shoulder. She whispered, breathlessly.

 _"Ash?"_

Nothing.

"Are you asleep, Ash?"

Nothing at all.

Serena lowered her head. She pressed her forehead against his arm. She snuggled up against him, without placing her hands on him. She held both of her hands against her heart. She sighed.

"I'm trying so hard, Ash. I'm trying as hard as I can, and everything is still so messed up."

Ash's slow, deep breaths continued.

"I don't want things to be like this. I want to change them, but... but I don't know how. I've hidden so much for so long. I haven't figured out how to stop hiding. I'm hiding right now. I know you can't hear me."

Serena took a deep breath of her own.

"I know you tell me never to give up. Sometimes, I wonder if that's the right way to look at things. Aria didn't think it was. Honestly, the more I refuse to give up on some things, the worse I make them. I can't stop lying, Ash. I don't want to lie to you, but I'm so lost. I have this... this façade that I just can't tear down. I can't tear it down because without it, I'm not sure I know who I am. I don't know what's behind it. And I'm afraid of the answer, because I'm afraid it might be _nothing."_

Seconds passed in silence.

"I don't know what I'm doing. Not here, not with you, not with any of this. I don't know why I'm talking to you right now, really. I just don't know what else to do. I don't want to keep hiding from you, but I've made so many mistakes. I've been so dishonest. I've done some bad things. I don't know what you would think of me if you knew the truth, if you knew I was so desperate for you that I blackmailed someone who tried to help me. Aria gave me more money than I know what to do with, and it's crushing me. I shouldn't have it. I lied to her to get it. I betrayed her trust. I'm terrified of what would happen if all the secrets of what happened between her and me got out. And deep down inside, it really bothers me to think that all of this crazy stuff happened because I couldn't give up... on you."

Serena shifted, drawing a bit closer to Ash.

"My mom knew I was in over my head. I know why she thought so. I don't know why she was so quick to forgive me after our fight. Honestly, it doesn't make me feel that much better that she did, because I lied to her, too. She said she was impressed with my maturity, but she won't be if she finds out the truth behind all this. I can't tell her, and I'm so tired of hiding. I'm _so_ tired of hiding, Ash. But I'm terrified that everything is going to fall apart unless I keep hiding. I can't share the truth with anyone. Not you, not my mother. I don't think Aria even wants to talk to me. And Lillie... I think things are more messed up for her than I can imagine."

Serena held her breath for a moment.

"Please don't leave me, Ash. Don't leave my life again. I don't know what I would do without you. That's why I'm so afraid of you putting yourself in harm's way all the time. Now that I finally have you, when I say I don't know what I would do without you, I mean it. I barely even know what to do _with_ you. Without you..."

Serena clenched her eyes shut. She exhaled.

"I don't know. I just don't know."

Serena pulled up one side of Ash's blanket and covered herself with it. She cuddled up closer to him. He held one hand atop his chest. Serena leaned in and kissed the back of his hand, then settled in next to him.

There was something more she wanted to say, but she could not say it. Not now. She settled on a single word instead.

"Goodnight."

* * *

Serena was aware of nothing more until she heard a crackling sound. Then came the smell of smoke. She opened her eyes. Light flooded them.

She threw the blanket aside and sat upright. A jolt of panic surged through her heart. Ash was asleep beside her. She was still in his tent. She was with him, in his tent, in broad daylight. Outside, someone was already awake and had rekindled the campfire.

Hands held against her head, Serena cursed herself for her stupidity. She had never intended to sleep so long. She had assumed that at some point during the night, she would wake up and sneak back to her own tent. No such thing had happened. Instead of the restless sleep she expected in the aftermath of nerves and nightmares, her mind had passed out of existence for hours and hours. She slept dreamlessly.

Now, here she was. Trapped.

Her mind scrambled to come up with a plan. There had to be some way she could avoid being caught. Nothing came to mind. If she woke Ash, she was certain they would be noticed. She had none of her Pokémon with her to create a distraction. Her only hope seemed to be for whoever was outside not to notice her, somehow.

She rose to her knees. As she had done several times the night before, Serena tugged the zipper on the tent entrance and slowly pulled it down, undoing it silently, one clasp at a time. When there was enough of a gap for her to see through, she put her eye to it.

The campfire crackled, but there was no one in sight. Through the peephole she had created, she could not see anyone, nor any sign of activity at all. She heard nothing.

She pulled the zipper down further. Time was critical. She knew she was certain to be caught if someone was out there and she was too slow. She had no choice but to go for it.

Holding her breath, Serena stuck her head through the tent flap. She looked in one direction. There was nobody there. She looked in the opposite direction. She froze.

Professor Burnet was walking back up to their campsite from the meadow, carrying a bucket of water. She stopped in her tracks. Their eyes met. One of Professor Burnet's eyebrows raised.

Serena's face flushed. Abandoning all pretense of secrecy, she unzipped the rest of the tent flap and scrambled her way outside, hands held up in surrender. Professor Burnet placed the bucket of water on the ground and both of her hands on her hips. She tilted her head at Serena. There was a long, wordless pause.

Then, Professor Burnet motioned for Serena to follow. For a moment, Serena considered refusing. Before she could make up her mind, though, Cutiefly appeared. She buzzed in from above and landed on top of Serena's head.

But even after Cutiefly landed, there was still a buzzing noise. A few seconds later, another Cutiefly emerged from the meadow, made a beeline for Serena, and landed on her shoulder. The buzzing grew louder still. Another Cutiefly appeared. Then another. Then several more. Then dozens.

A few moments later, a cloud of Cutiefly descended upon her, occupying every possible space atop her arms, shoulders, and head. Serena burst into laughter. She couldn't help it. It tickled like mad. Heads poked out of all of the other tents. Across the campsite, Professor Burnet's expression changed from one of confusion and concern to one of amusement. She smirked as she folded her arms.

From the entrance of the tent, Ash looked up at Serena, astonished. Serena looked at him and shrugged. What could she possibly say? The Cutiefly all knew the truth.

And so, lost for words, Serena laughed and laughed. It was the best she could do.


	8. Bricks in the Wall

Chapter Eight – Bricks in the Wall

After the passage of the Cutiefly swarm, the remainder of the trip to Melemele Meadow passed without incident, more or less. Although Professor Burnet pulled Serena aside, Serena did not receive the lecture she expected. Instead, Professor Burnet told her that she understood, and she knew exactly how it was. Despite her relief to avoid trouble, Serena hoped for a variety of reasons that Professor Burnet did not understand. The implications were too troubling.

Serena did her best to ignore the army of warring voices in her head. After another tranquil day in the golden meadow, they all descended the mountain. Professor Burnet returned to Akala Island, and everyone else returned to the lab. A new week arrived. Things returned to normal, or at least something resembling normal.

Their work with Professor Kukui resumed, although at a less frantic pace than before. It became clear that Ash's lack of a Z-ring was hampering Professor Kukui's research, and that the delivery was taking longer than expected. Lillie made several calls to Hala on Professor Kukui's behalf, each time relaying the same reply – that Hala was a busy man, and he would get to finishing Ash's Z-ring as soon as he could.

Serena struggled to imagine what kept Hala so busy. If the handful of stories she heard about him over the campfire had even a sliver of truth to them, Hala spent the majority of his time meddling in the affairs of the island's wild Pokémon. It sounded completely unnecessary to her, but then again, the kahunas allegedly answered to their island's guardian deity and no one else. Tapu Koko was a much more fearsome master than Professor Kukui, after all.

Even though it all sounded like nonsense, the delay Hala was causing came with several beneficial side effects. For one, it led to more free time, which in turn led to pillow fort movie nights becoming a daily occurrence. Ash seemed to be unaware of any of the events during their night at the meadow. Lillie, despite her near-worship of him at the meadow, kept more distance between herself and Ash.

Professor Kukui filled the downtime with attempting to teach everyone's Pokémon new moves. Much like his previous effort, most of his attempts were absurd or ill-advised. Lillie was thoroughly offended when he attempted to teach Nebby how to use Explosion. Rowlet was bewildered by the professor's attempt to teach him Earthquake. Despite all their skills, Pikachu appeared incapable of learning Blizzard, and Greninja made no progress on learning Dragon Rage.

After throwing enough ideas at the wall, Professor Kukui finally found a few that stuck. Sylveon was delighted to practice using Moonblast, and Pancham enjoyed learning how to use Payback. Serena spent a day working with the two of them, astounded by their progress. Despite everything, she was almost ready to call Professor Kukui a genius. Almost, were it not for Braixen.

Professor Kukui had the promising idea of teaching Braixen to use Psychic. Braixen showed tremendous conviction, and Serena found it contagious. She joined in on the training.

Unfortunately, the training consisted of Braixen attempting to move a coconut with her mind. Professor Kukui provided Braixen with a coconut from one of the nearby trees. He placed it in the sand in front of Braixen, instructed her to start by using her mind to lift it, and to come back to him when she broke it open without touching it.

And so, Serena sat with Braixen in the sand, attempting to meditate. The more she tried to clear her mind, the more impossible it felt. As her frustration grew, so did Braixen's. She felt it in the air between them, a tension that had not been there when they began. Like a spool of thread, her mind wound around itself, convinced that her mere presence was a distraction to Braixen, a negative influence.

So, after a while, she left. Leaving Braixen on her own, Serena went inside. She found Lillie sitting on the floor, sorting through dozens of boxes of laboratory equipment, the contents strewn all about. An overturned cardboard box scooted around the floor under its own power. When it began to move toward her, Serena saw Nebby's face peeking out through the hole in the side that was meant to be a handle. Serena pointed at it. Lillie looked up at her.

"Is Nebby _supposed_ to be in there?" said Serena.

"It was an accident at first," said Lillie. "I didn't pay enough attention to where I tossed the empty box and it landed on top of Nebby. Nebby seems to be having fun, though."

The box bumped into Serena's feet. Serena saw Nebby's cheery face looking up at her. She shrugged.

"I'm surprised, since Nebby hates your bag so much," she said.

"I think Nebby likes it in there because it can see," said Lillie.

The box turned away from Serena's feet. It began to shuffle along the floor toward Rockruff, who lay asleep in his bed.

"That, and I think Nebby thinks it is invisible in there," said Lillie.

The box stopped in front of Rockruff's bed. Nebby made a noise that Serena supposed was meant to sound frightening, but instead sounded like a high-pitched yawn. As if on cue, Rockruff yawned and smacked his lips, then resumed sleeping.

Nebby shuffled along toward Snubbull's bed, undeterred. Serena laughed. Lillie only hummed.

When her laughter calmed, Serena looked at the mess of equipment strewn about on the floor.

"Can I help?" she asked.

"Maybe," said Lillie. "I only have one more box to do today. This is such a mess. I don't know how the professor ever found anything he needed before I arrived."

"Even if it's just picking things up, I'll be more useful in here than I was outside," said Serena.

"Oh?" said Lillie. "What was happening outside?"

"Professor Kukui tried to teach Braixen to use Psychic. I tried to help Braixen focus, but I wasn't doing any good."

Serena looked out the window. Braixen still sat on the sand, eyes closed. The coconut had not moved.

"I'd like to accomplish at least one helpful thing today, anyway," said Serena.

Lillie looked aside.

"Me too," she said.

Serena gestured toward the mess that surrounded Lillie.

"Aren't you helping to get this organized?" said Serena.

"Yes, I am," Lillie said with a measured nod. "It's not clear that my organizational efforts are of any help to the professor, though. If anything, they might be another imposition on him."

"How are you imposing on him if you're trying to help?" said Serena.

"All these devices in these boxes were scattered around the lab when I first arrived here," said Lillie. "The place was so cluttered that I couldn't stand it. I took it upon myself to organize things. I told the professor it was for his sake, but really… it was for mine."

Lillie met eyes with Serena for a moment, but then she looked away.

"I can't stand seeing things so disorganized," she said. "I get lost so easily… I can't afford to spend my time searching for other things."

Lillie paused. The momentary silence was interrupted by the battle cry of Poliwhirl from downstairs, followed by a sound of bodily impact and a loud _Woo!_

Lillie shook her head. Her eyes glanced toward the stairs which led below.

"The professor didn't need me to do it," she said. "Even though this place looked like a disaster to me, he knew exactly where everything was. Until I boxed it all up, anyway. Now, I spend more time trying to find equipment for him than he ever used to spend himself."

The quiet shuffling of Nebby and the cardboard box along the floor continued. Lillie's eyes followed Nebby as it drew closer and closer to the stairs.

Lillie stood up and dusted herself off.

"On the bright side, Professor Burnet appreciates what I've done," she said. "She told me she could never get him to clean this place up."

Lillie walked over to the top of the stairs and lifted the box off of Nebby, then scooped Nebby up in her arms. Nebby protested, but not with enough force to make Lillie let go.

Serena stood in the middle of the room with her arms folded, staring vacantly at the mess on the floor. It had always seemed clear to her that Lillie was selfless to the point of being a doormat, but what Lillie described was the same kind of selfishness Serena hated so much when she saw it in herself - helpful only when it helped her, too. Selfless only when it made her look good. Willing to do the right thing only when it was convenient.

"I'm sure you're helping more than you know," said Serena.

"I wish I saw it that way," said Lillie.

"You really, really want to help, don't you?" said Serena.

"Yes, I do," said Lillie. "I try my hardest, yet it still feels like I have nothing I can offer in return for all the things everyone has done for me. I don't know what I can do to repay everyone for being so kind. I don't deserve any of this."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

The way Lillie said it tugged at Serena's heartstrings. Despite all Serena's misgivings about Lillie, the way Lillie shut her eyes, smiled sadly, and shook her head as if it were the simplest truth in the world made Serena's heart throb and her brow tighten.

"Lillie…"

It was meant to sound gentle and pitying. Instead, it sounded disappointed and aggravated.

With more certainty than Serena had ever seen from her, Lillie looked her in the eye and continued.

"I'm a burden on people," said Lillie. "I always have been."

"Stop."

"It's the truth."

"No, it's not."

"It's been true for as long as I can remember."

"Lillie, stop!"

Serena raised her voice. Her words echoed off the walls for a split second, long enough to give Lillie a reason to pause. The interruption gave Serena the time to speak again.

"I don't care what you think is true," said Serena. "I am _not_ going to stand by and listen to you talk about yourself like this."

The shift in her tone caused both Lillie and Nebby to freeze. Serena continued.

"The only person you haven't helped since I got here is yourself! You help until you can't help anymore, and then you berate yourself for not doing more when you did everything you could!"

"I-"

Serena held up her hand and cut Lillie off.

"Don't try to deny it," said Serena. "It's true. I _know_ it's true. I know what it feels like, and I know how wrong it all is!"

"I'm only here at all because I couldn't do more to help!" said Lillie. "I couldn't protect Nebby! Nebby saved _me!"_

Serena's eyes narrowed. It was not the first time Lillie had mentioned it, some mysterious incident which continued to weigh on her mind.

"How could I not want to do more to help?" said Lillie. "Nebby is helpless, but it saved me when I failed to save it! What does that make me?"

"Nebby saved _all_ of us," said Serena. "Professor Kukui isn't helpless. I'm not helpless. Neither are you."

Lillie began to say something, but instead she covered her face with one hand and sighed. With her eyes closed, she spoke again, softly.

"I don't know what I am," she said.

Serena understood exactly how that felt.

"I don't know what I am, either."

* * *

Serena decided enough was enough, and that getting away from the lab for the afternoon was the right thing to do. Lillie agreed. An hour later, with Nebby left in the care of Sylveon and Cutiefly, and Braixen still trying to lift a coconut with her mind, Serena and Lillie walked side by side down the street on the Hau'oli City waterfront.

Serena was not at all surprised to find that navigating Hau'oli City was, in fact, much easier with her tablet than it ever was with Lillie's shoddy map and questionable sense of direction. She led the way to the shopping district without a single wrong turn. Though she knew Lillie was amazed, she said nothing.

Serena led them into the first apparel store they encountered. She was wide-eyed, her mind overflowing with possibilities. Lillie, meanwhile, clutched the strap on her bag and eyed the racks of clothes with apprehension.

When Serena found a rack of dresses that looked promising, she beckoned Lillie to join her. Lillie did not mirror her excitement.

"Are you sure about this?" said Lillie. "I can wait outside while you look, if you think that would be better."

"We're not just here for me," said Serena. "We're here for you, too."

Lillie backed away a step.

"I can't shop here!" she said.

"Why not? You said you never picked out your own clothes before, didn't you? You have to start somewhere."

Lillie gulped.

"But I have no idea what to do!" she said.

Serena dug into the rack of dresses. She flipped through the hangers, sifting through the selection. She glanced over her shoulder at Lillie.

"Take some advice I got from a fashion guru once," said Serena. "If you don't know what to do, try something on. Anything. Get the ideas flowing."

Lillie tightened her lips and looked around. As if rooted to the spot, she only turned her head.

"Maybe I should start small," said Lillie. "Maybe some socks, or something like that."

Serena was glad she was facing away from Lillie. The face she made would not have helped the situation. She knew from experience that socks were not the place to start.

"Maybe bigger than that," said Serena. "What about these dresses? Do any of them catch your eye?"

Lillie took a tentative step forward.

"Um…"

"What's your size?" said Serena. As soon as the words left her lips and she saw Lillie's face, she scrambled to speak again. "I mean, if you don't mind me asking!"

Looking embarrassed, Lillie shook her head.

"I don't know."

Serena paused her search. She looked at Lillie again.

"What about the dress you have on right now?" she said. "Does it have a tag or something we can check?"

"No," said Lillie. "It's custom-made. All my clothes are."

Serena's jaw slackened. She hushed herself before she spoke. She knew she would be too loud otherwise.

 _"Custom-made?"_ she said. "Seriously?"

Lillie stared at her feet.

"Yes."

With a newfound interest, Serena examined Lillie's dress. She had never considered it before, but even if it had come from a store, it would have been expensive. If Lillie's entire outfit was custom-made, she figured it was probably worth more than all of the clothing she had ever worn, combined. The materials were delicate all silk and lace. The stitches were fine, and likely all made by hand.

She had so many questions. She was not able to voice a good one.

"...how?"

"My mother was… very particular," said Lillie.

"And very rich, apparently," said Serena.

"Yes, that too," said Lillie.

Serena continued to eye Lillie's outfit up and down. That it was custom-made seemed more obvious each passing second. Her clothes were a matching set, all with similar hues and motifs. Serena had no idea how she never noticed it before.

Lillie shifted on her feet, looking uncomfortable. She smoothed down the front of her dress, then looked away.

"My mother always made us wear outfits that she designed herself," said Lillie. "Always. She never let us wear anything else."

"Us?"

"My brother and I."

"Oh."

Serena wasn't sure why it was such a surprise that Lillie had an actual family, somewhere. Perhaps it was because it was so difficult to imagine what they were like.

"We were like dolls to my mother," said Lillie. "We were part of her collection, her toys that she got to dress up however she wanted. I detested it, but my brother despised it even more. White was… not his favorite color."

"She always dressed you in stuff like this?" said Serena.

"Yes, always."

Serena supposed now was not the right time to tell Lillie that she looked stunning in her dress regardless of how she felt about it.

"Let's try something different, then," said Serena. "Something very different."

"Like what?"

"Good question," said Serena. She tapped her finger on her chin while she considered her options.

She pulled an emerald green dress out from the rack. With it dangling from the hanger, she held it up to Lillie's shoulders to check the size. Lillie looked at the dress like she was afraid to touch it. She shied away from it.

"That's… a very bold color, don't you think?" said Lillie.

"That's the idea," said Serena.

She handed the dress to Lillie. Lillie seemed reluctant to take it. She held it as if it were going to explode at any moment.

"Plus, it matches your eyes," said Serena. She took Lillie by the wrist and led her toward the other side of the store. "Now, let's see if that size fits you."

Serena shoved Lillie into the changing room, almost literally. She left Lillie standing there, looking nervous, and drew the curtain shut. Then, she waited.

And waited.

Almost fifteen minutes later, Lillie stuck her head out from behind the curtain. She was red in the face.

"I think it's too small..." she said.

Serena took the dress from her, slipped it back on the hanger, and frowned at it as she took it back to the rack. Of course it wasn't going to fit Lillie. The dress was _her_ size. Lillie was a little bit bigger than her in every dimension. A little bit taller, a little bit rounder.

Serena caught her own eyes in a nearby mirror. She looked at her outfit. It was practical, comfortable, assembled out of equal parts convenience, necessity, and haste. It was cute, but that was the problem. It was _cute._ It wasn't _pretty._ It was just like the outfit she made for herself after her first showcase failure.

She wondered what Lillie would look like wearing it. It didn't seem like it would suit her at all. Lillie looked so much more delicate _,_ more feminine, more _womanly_ than she did. This outfit made Serena feel like a preschooler and a tomboy in comparison. Was Lillie older than her? She had no idea.

Her eyes fixed on herself, Serena pulled a strand of loose hair away from her face. It had been so long since her anguished, self-administered haircut in Coumarine City. Everything changed that day, and everything had changed again since then. Her hair had always been slow-growing, but it was long enough again that it hung just beneath her shoulders. She thought of Lillie's hair. How long had it been since Lillie's last haircut? Whenever it was, it surely wasn't by her own choice.

Serena deliberated over the rack for a moment, then grabbed two more identical dresses, one of them one size larger and the other two sizes larger. She returned to the fitting room.

"Here," she said. "I got two more in bigger sizes. Try these."

Lillie reached out from behind the curtain and took the dresses from Serena. Several minutes passed. Serena sat down in a nearby chair and waited. She continued to gaze at her reflection in yet another mirror. She didn't like anything she saw. She wondered if Lillie felt the same way about herself.

Her train of thought was interrupted when Lillie opened the curtain.

"Well, um… I think it fits, maybe."

Serena turned to look at Lillie and saw her standing in front of the fitting room mirror, facing her. Lillie was as red in the face as before, clearly unsure of herself.

The dress fit, but it did nothing for her. It was weirdly stiff in the shoulders. It made her look unnaturally flat on all sides, like her body had no contours whatsoever.

Serena stood up and walked over to Lillie. Lillie played with the fabric between her fingers, looking uncomfortable.

"How do you feel in it?" said Serena.

Lillie turned around and looked in the mirror.

"I… I don't know. I don't know what to look for…"

"Do you like it?"

"Not particularly, no."

"I think we can do a lot better, then," said Serena.

Lillie looked like she dreaded the prospect of continuing.

"Look on the bright side," said Serena. "Now we know your size. That makes everything easier."

Lillie did not appear convinced.

* * *

An hour and a half later, Lillie still did not appear convinced, and beads of sweat shone on her forehead. Undeterred, Serena continued to present Lillie with garment after garment, forming a pile of potential new outfits. Despite Serena's best efforts, none of her selections were to Lillie's liking.

Every single thing Serena suggested was too radical for Lillie, no matter how mundane. Despite Lillie's supposed interest in something different, everything that was different from what she was already wearing was met with rejection. Every color aside from shades of white and pale blue was too much, too loud, too bold, too everything. Skirts were almost a bridge too far. Pants were completely out of the question.

For lack of a better idea, Serena decided to try suggesting clothes that were similar to what Lillie already wore. Immediately, the response was more positive. And so, a short while later, Serena found herself standing inside the fitting room next to Lillie, with her arms folded in satisfaction as Lillie finally dared to smile.

The outfit was not at all what Serena figured Lillie would have wanted, but she could not help but be pleased with her apparent accidental success. It was all the same colors as Lillie's original dress. It looked like it was caught somewhere between cute and sporty, something like a cross between a professional tennis player and a schoolgirl. Serena did not know what to think of it, but it was clear that Lillie did. There was no doubt that Lillie loved it.

There was one thing that clearly still bothered Lillie. She played with her hair, moving it all around. She tossed it over one shoulder and then the other, then tried to smooth it down, then pulled it all back, then started over again. Serena watched, keeping silent for a while. She spoke when Lillie met her eyes in the mirror.

"Are you looking for a new hairstyle, too?" said Serena.

"Maybe," said Lillie. "I, um… I've never been allowed to choose my own hairstyle before, actually. I don't know where to start there, either…"

Serena was not surprised. She pursed her lips and gave Lillie an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry to say it, but hair is not my specialty," said Serena. "I used to have much longer hair, like yours, but-"

Serena closed her eyes and shook her head. It was difficult to explain. When she opened her eyes again, she ran her fingers through a stand of her hair and looked away.

"I had a bit of a mental breakdown, actually," she said.

Lillie gave Serena a strange glance.

"You… what?" said Lillie.

A nervous laugh escaped Serena's lips.

"Well, I embarrassed myself and my Pokémon in a performance that a lot of people saw," said Serena. "I was so upset that I decided I didn't… I didn't want to be _me_ anymore."

There was an awkward silence. Serena continued.

"So, I changed everything. That night, I made myself a new outfit, made from the scraps of my old clothes. The next morning, I went with my Pokémon out to the waterfront, apologized to them, and cut off, like, half of my hair. Maybe a little more."

Serena played with the ends of a lock of her hair.

"I… wasn't being very careful. I didn't do a great job with it. I just wanted to be rid of it. I threw it all into the sea, actually. My hair was always kind of ragged and frayed after that."

Serena gathered her hair in one hand, pulling it over her shoulder. She pointedly glanced at it, tipping her head in that direction.

"It's just now long enough for me to do this again," she said. She rolled her eyes. "I can only imagine what a stylist would have to say about it. I bet all the split ends would be enough to keep them up at night."

Serena let go of her hair. She shook her head, tossing it about, letting it settle over her shoulders again.

"I kind of envy your hair, actually," said Serena.

Lillie's eyes widened. She looked down at her braids and ran a hand over one of them.

"Do you really?" said Lillie.

 _"Yes,"_ said Serena. She said it a bit more emphatically than she intended. "It's gorgeous. I _wish_ my hair grew so straight like that. I wish I could braid my hair like you do, but mine is too wavy. It gets knotted up too easily. Not to mention too short, no thanks to me."

Lillie let her braid fall loose from her hand. She frowned at her reflection in the mirror.

"I've never liked my hair very much," she said.

"Just like your clothes," said Serena.

"Yes," said Lillie.

"It's a shame you don't like them," said Serena. "You're… _beautiful_ in them, honestly."

An instant after she said the words, Serena felt a twitch of embarrassment in her stomach.

"...if you don't mind me saying that," said Serena.

Lillie pursed her lips and looked at the ground.

"That's the kind of thing my mother used to say," said Lillie.

Serena clenched her jaw and tried not to cringe. She settled for a slight narrowing of the eyes and a sour look on her face.

"She used to tell me that I looked beautiful in the clothes and the hairstyles she chose for me, and that I would always be beautiful if I listened to her and did as she wished," said Lillie. "When I began to express my opposition to her ideas… things changed."

"For the worse?" said Serena.

"Yes."

Serena held her breath for a moment.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"It's not your fault," said Lillie.

"I should have thought more about what you must have dealt with," said Serena. "With your mother's expectations. I didn't think about what I must sound like when I say these things to you. So, I'm sorry."

"It still is not your fault," said Lillie. "I accept your apology anyway, but blame my mother, not yourself."

"Your mom-"

Serena bit her tongue. She wasn't sure what she was trying to say. She decided it was best to admit it.

"I… don't know what to say about her," she said.

"I struggle to put my thoughts about her into words, too," said Lillie. "There are many things I wish I could say to her. Unfortunately, she won't listen to me. She won't listen to anybody."

Serena raised an eyebrow. For the first time, Lillie spoke about her mother in the present tense.

"Your mom is… _alive,_ right?" said Serena.

"Yes, she is," said Lillie. "Unless something disastrous happened since I left, anyway."

Serena berated herself internally.

"Sorry," she said. "That was a really weird question. I don't know why I asked that. I shouldn't have."

"I don't think it's that strange," said Lillie. "I do speak about her primarily in the past tense, don't I?"

Serena nodded.

"I suppose it's because she…"

Lillie paused. She looked away, swallowed, then sighed. When she spoke again, she whispered.

"She stopped being a mother to me a long time ago."

Serena sucked in both of her lips and looked away from Lillie, trying to hide the pained expression on her face.

She was in over her head. So, so far over her head. Lillie's problems were orders of magnitude more serious than any of hers. What was the point of trying to relate? She disagreed with her mother, sometimes vehemently, but at least the two of them were still on speaking terms. They had even made up the last time they talked, it seemed. Meanwhile, Lillie and her mother appeared to have mutually disowned each other.

Serena was insecure about her relationship with Ash. Lillie had no relationships to speak of, platonic, familial, or otherwise.

"She stopped being a wife to my father, too," said Lillie.

Serena's heart throbbed. It hurt.

"I know what that's like," said Serena.

"You do?"

Serena nodded. She wasn't sure how to explain it all. There was too much to explain.

"He... left a long time ago," said Serena.

"So did my father," said Lillie. "He was the first to leave, then my brother. Then me."

Serena hesitated. It was more than a similarity they shared. It was a common thread between both the two of them and Ash. All of them had fathers who left, for one reason or another.

She had so many questions, but it was not the right time for any of them. Lillie spoke.

"Professor Burnet and Kukui have been…"

Lillie stopped herself, shut her eyes, and sighed again. Once more, when she continued, she whispered.

"...almost like parents to me," said Lillie. "And you, and Ash, you-"

Lillie stopped again. Serena did her best to glance at Lillie without looking at her directly. It was obvious Lillie did not want to be seen. Even out of the corner of her eye, Serena saw the tightness in Lillie's jaw. She knew exactly what Lillie was doing. She had done it so many times herself.

Lillie was trying not to cry.

Serena stood still. She wondered if maybe it would be appropriate to place a hand on Lillie's shoulder, or perhaps to rub her arm, but she suspected it would only lead to the waterworks starting in earnest. So, she just stood still.

Lillie gulped, then continued.

"You two are the closest thing to real friends I have ever had," said Lillie.

Serena knew what she wanted to say. She wanted to tell Lillie that they were not _close_ to real friends, but that they already _were_ real friends. But she stopped herself. She was certain it would lead to tears if she said it.

And deep down, she knew there was something more stopping her. A feeling beyond description, a thought beyond all explanation. Something fantastic and stupid and painfully real all at once. No matter how she tried to deny it, it was still there. That tiny, inexplicable seed of worry, against all rhyme and reason.

Serena was eager to change the subject.

"So, you like this outfit?" she said.

Lillie nodded as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"I do."

"Do you want to buy it?"

"I'm not sure."

"It can be my treat," said Serena. "You don't need to worry about the price."

"It's not the price," said Lillie. "I'm not sure if I'm _ready_ to wear this."

"Why not buy it and hold onto it until you're ready, then?"

"Hmm."

Tight-lipped, Lillie looked herself all over in the mirror, thinking.

"Maybe I will do that," said Lillie. "I need to think some more about it. What about you, though? Didn't you want to come shopping for yourself, as well?"

What Lillie suggested was true, but to Serena, that particular concern felt like it was a world away.

"Yes, I did," said Serena. She pulled a strand of hair over her ear. "I almost forgot, actually."

"I'm not sure how much help I can be to you, but I would love to return the favor for you helping me," said Lillie. "I don't have much of an eye for fashion, but I would like to try, if you'll let me."

Serena looked at Lillie. Lillie bit down on the inside of her lip, looking unsure of herself.

Once more, Serena felt like a complete fool. Lillie was fighting herself, trying so hard to break out of her shell, to do something good both for herself and others. It was obvious how much she was struggling, how much she needed someone to be a genuine support.

How could Serena say no?

"Sure," said Serena. "I'd be happy to have your help."

* * *

A few minutes later, while Serena perused the racks, Lillie emerged from the fitting room in her old dress again. Serena watched as Lillie walked up to the front counter and handed over the skirt and blouse to the attendant for safekeeping until they were done. Then, Lillie joined Serena again.

"So, what kind of outfit are you interested in?" said Lillie.

"I'm looking for something to wear on a date with Ash," said Serena.

Lillie went wide-eyed.

"Oh!" said Lillie. "Goodness, I- I really don't know anything about that…"

There was something about the phrasing of Lillie's response that flipped a switch inside Serena's head. Lillie's words led to an obvious question. Before Serena could pause and stop herself, she seized the opportunity.

"About what?" said Serena. "Dating?"

Lillie said nothing. With her lips tight, she nodded.

"It's okay!" said Serena. "You don't have to know anything. All I need is something a little bit fancier than normal that looks good on me."

Serena looked at her oversized, knotted shirt, then back up at Lillie.

"Or maybe a _lot_ fancier," she said. "This isn't really normal for me, I promise."

Lillie was quiet for a few moments. She made an attempt to join Serena in sifting through all the hangers on a rack of dresses.

"I… think that outfit works very well for you, actually," said Lillie.

Serena paused and looked at Lillie.

"Seriously?"

"Yes," said Lillie. "I mean it."

Lillie looked unsure of herself, but Serena figured that was because Lillie was not used to issuing her own opinion, let alone having anyone listen to it.

"Thank you," said Serena. "I always hoped it would be cute, but mostly I just feel like it was cheap and thrown together because I needed something new right away."

"You _needed_ something new?"

It occurred to Serena how odd her statement was.

"Yes, actually," she said. "I really did need it."

"If you don't mind me asking, why?" said Lillie.

"It's… a very long story," said Serena.

"I think we have the time," said Lillie. "From what I have seen so far, this is not a quick process."

Serena could not argue with that logic.

She tried to think of a way to summarize everything that happened in Monego City. Even that was difficult.

"The short version of the story is that I got into an argument with someone and when things got really heated, I escaped by jumping into the water. We were on a boat at the time, and I had all of my belongings with me in my bag. Everything got soaked with salt water, and it was all ruined. I borrowed a dress from a friend until I could buy some new clothes."

"You jumped off a boat to escape an argument?" said Lillie.

It sounded so stupid phrased that way.

"Yes, I did," said Serena.

"Were you in danger?" said Lillie.

"Not really."

"Who were you arguing with? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"A friend."

"You had to escape from a friend?"

"Sort of," said Serena. She knew there was no way her explanation made any sense at all. "It was… a friend who wanted to be more than friends, and I didn't."

Once again, Lillie's eyes widened. She tried to hide how flustered she looked.

"Oh!" she said. "That, um, sounds like a rather complicated situation."

Lillie looked like she regretted ever asking. Serena was not going to let her feel that way.

"It was," said Serena. "I'd explain more, but really, I don't even know where to start. And there's a bunch of things about it I really _shouldn't_ say."

"I understand."

Serena had no doubt that Lillie was telling the truth.

"It was all part of a big mess that happened when Ash and I and two of our friends received an offer for an amazing vacation as a reward for all our hard work to save Kalos from Team Flare," said Serena.

"Team Flare?" said Lillie. "I think I heard something about that on the news!"

Serena resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Halfway across the world, she was still in the camera eye.

"It seems like pretty much everyone did," said Serena. "It was kind of crazy at first. We could barely go anywhere without being bothered by reporters."

"Wait, so you and Ash _actually_ were involved in that?" said Lillie.

Lillie looked stunned. Serena supposed that was the appropriate reaction for someone who had not yet been desensitized to Ash's heroics. Serena nodded.

"We were."

Lillie opened her mouth to say something, but stumbled over her words.

"It's not that big a deal," said Serena. She wanted to downplay it, change the subject, anything to get away from it. "That kind of thing is pretty normal for Ash and anyone who travels with him."

"I- I can't believe I'm only finding out about this now," said Lillie. She held her fingers to her temples as if her head hurt. "It's no wonder the professor was so eager to work with Ash. Didn't you all stop a legendary Pokémon that was supposedly the incarnation of death?"

Serena did not want to acknowledge it. All she did was nod.

"Unbelievable," said Lillie. "The professor understated how skilled you two are as trainers. It all makes so much sense now!"

The words changed Serena's mood in an instant. Before she could draw another breath, her heart rate spiked.

"What makes sense?" she said.

"Oh, goodness..." said Lillie. She groaned. "I shouldn't have rambled. I've talked myself into a corner."

Serena stared at Lillie, her face vacant, her heart pounding in silence.

"I'm sorry, but I shouldn't have said anything," said Lillie. "I'm afraid this isn't the right time or place to talk about all this."

Serena nodded, but internally she screamed. What was this? Another trick? What was Lillie hiding? She absolutely was hiding something. There was no doubt now.

Lillie bit her lip in what looked like embarrassment, but she was barely containing a smile.

"Anyway, you were looking for something?" said Lillie.

Serena blinked and realized she was still standing in front of a rack of dresses. She had lost track of everything.

"Oh, right," she said. She shook her head, determined to concentrate on anything else.

She examined the dresses on the rack before her. She tried to imagine herself in them, and she tried to picture how it would look on some imaginary date with Ash. The problem was that her train of thought kept getting stuck in a loop. There was something else in the way, clouding her mind.

Lillie held up two sundresses, one white, one powder blue.

"What do you think of these?" she said. "I'm not sure if they're what you're looking for, but they are fancier than your current outfit, at least."

Serena thought they were revolting. They looked like exactly the type of thing Lillie would wear.

"I'm not sure those are my style," said Serena.

"Oh, okay," said Lillie. She seemed a bit disappointed. Without protest, she hung the two dresses back up.

"I want to try something more colorful," said Serena.

She said it partly because it was true, and partly because it was the opposite of Lillie's style.

And also partly because she thought it might rattle Lillie.

Just slightly.

A tiny bit.

No more.

While Lillie pondered over the other available dresses, Serena turned her attention elsewhere.

The tank tops were out of the question, as were the shorts. There was simply no way she was going to go out in public, let alone on a date, in the things she routinely wore as underclothes or pajamas.

She looked at herself in one of the mirrors. In the corner of her vision, she saw Lillie exploring the various shades of off-white dresses available.

Then, she saw Lillie adjust her hat to look closer. Serena shifted her eyes up to her own hat. It hit her.

 _The girl in the straw hat._

She knew exactly what to do. She returned to the rack with the sundresses. It would be impossible to find an exact replica, but she was certain she could find something close enough.

"I thought those weren't your style," said Lillie, taking notice of Serena's search.

"I think I've changed my mind," said Serena.

Serena pulled a sundress from the rack. She held it up high and proud.

"Ta-da!" she said.

Serena grinned at the dress. It was a pale shade of pink at the top and the bottom, and a darker shade of pink in the center. Lillie gave it a wary look.

"It, um, certainly is more colorful than what I suggested," she said.

"That's not all," said Serena. "This dress is the same colors as the one I wore on the day I met Ash."

"Oh," said Lillie. "How appropriate, then. That sounds like a very good choice."

Serena was very pleased. The only question was whether or not the dress fit.

"I'm going to try it on," she said.

A few minutes later, Serena stood behind the closed curtain of the fitting room, examining herself in the mirror. The fit was as good as she ever could have hoped. It reminded her of the magic Aria worked on her, making her clothes look like they were holding her up, rather than the other way around. It was only a momentary first impression, but she liked what she saw. She looked _good._

Serena pulled the curtain aside. Outside, Lillie sat in the same chair Serena had occupied earlier. Her head turned.

Lillie's mouth opened, but she did not say anything. She blinked a few times.

"What do you think?" said Serena.

"I wish I knew," said Lillie. "I don't know what I should be looking for. All I know is whether or not I like something."

Lillie broke eye contact.

"So, you don't like it, then?" said Serena.

Lillie ran her hand over her forehead.

"I- No, not really," she said. "It's not that it doesn't look good. It's that it is something I would not choose to wear."

Serena looked down at the dress and tugged at it, examining the fabric.

"You know, it wasn't really my choice, either," she said.

Lillie looked at her again.

"I didn't choose my own clothes either, back then," said Serena.

"Back then?" said Lillie.

"Back when I was five," said Serena.

It occurred to Serena that what she said could have been seen as a jab at Lillie, but Lillie did not seem to take it that way. Instead, Lillie had another question.

"You met Ash when you were five?"

"Yes. At summer camp."

"I didn't realize you two had known each other for so long," said Lillie.

"It's a bit more complicated than that, but it's mostly true," said Serena.

"Mostly true?" said Lillie.

"Ash… more or less forgot about me for several years after we met," said Serena. She was surprised by how embarrassing it was to say that aloud. "I never forgot about him, though. He remembered me after we met up and I helped remind him."

"How did you meet up again?"

"I saw him on the news," said Serena. The irony of how much she hated being in the news with Ash dawned on her. "I recognized him on a live report from Lumiose City. He jumped off Prism Tower to try to save Pikachu."

"Prism Tower?" said Lillie. She looked a shade paler than usual. "Isn't that… _very_ tall?"

"Yes. For a moment, I thought he was going to die."

Serena let the words linger for a moment. She thought. As she assembled the sentence in her head, it felt obvious to her once again that this was all more than a coincidence.

"...but at the last second, a mysterious Pokémon swooped in and saved him."

Her eyes met Lillie's. The two of them stared at each other.

"Just like on Mahalo Trail," said Lillie.

There was silence. Serena did not want to allow the notion time to settle.

"Kind of," she said. "Ash saved me. That was how I met him."

"He saved you?"

Serena nodded.

"It was the very first day of camp. I got separated from the group, and I ended up lost in the woods. I hurt my knee running away from a Pokémon, a Poliwag, of all things."

Serena scoffed and rolled her eyes at how silly it sounded. She continued.

"I couldn't walk on my own. I crawled up against a tree and cried. I don't know how long I was lost. It felt like forever. And then, out of nowhere, he just… _appeared."_

Serena looked at the ceiling as she said it. It was difficult to explain. It was only the single most formative moment of her life.

"I don't know how he found me. There was no reason for him to be there. I think he was looking for Pokémon. All I know is that somehow, he found me. And when he did, he…"

Serena wanted to say so many things.

"He changed my life," she said. "He took a handkerchief out of his pocket, bandaged my knee, and got me on my feet again. Even though I was in tears, he looked me right in the eye and told me never to give up. And then, he put my arm over his shoulder and helped me back to camp."

Serena looked down and noticed she had one hand folded over her heart.

"He did more than guide me out of the woods. It was like he led me back into the light. He taught me how to live. I never, ever forgot about him. I kept his handkerchief for years, until I used it as an excuse to go find him and return it to him after I saw him on the news. I still have it, actually. But even though it took him a while to remember me, I never forgot him. I never forgot what he did for me that day, and I never forgot what he said to me. And I never, _ever_ gave up on him."

Lillie stared at Serena. Silence hung between them. Lillie looked like she had a question, but like it was too difficult to ask.

But just as Serena was about to speak again, Lillie spoke up.

"Were you…"

Lillie trailed off. She shook her head and hid her eyes behind the brim of her hat. She looked like she couldn't believe what she was trying to say.

She tried again.

"Were-"

"Yes."

Lillie stared at Serena.

"Yes," Serena repeated. "I was in love with him the whole time."

Lillie looked aside.

"I understand why."

* * *

Although Serena and Lillie continued to talk, the remainder of their shopping trip vanished from Serena's memory before it ever had time to take hold. The words they exchanged went in one ear and out the other. Her mind wrapped around itself, unable to focus on anything but a singular, absurd thought.

 _Lillie has a crush on Ash._

It made perfect sense. It was completely insane.

Their entire way back to the lab, Serena hid her thoughts. She kept quiet, lagging behind Lillie every so often, only to catch up again when Lillie noticed her absence. And once, when Lillie turned around to look, Serena's heart stopped cold.

It was nothing but a trick of the light. That was what Serena told herself. It was useless, though. What had been seen could not be unseen. The low rays of the evening sun dimmed behind a cloud for a fleeting second. Lillie was cast in a dull light, and from within the shadow, she seemed to glow. For a mere instant, an instant that was branded into Serena's brain, Lillie's silhouette looked familiar. Lillie looked ethereal, otherworldly, both beautiful and hideous at the same time.

In silence, Serena's skin crawled as she walked beside Lillie. She tried to catch glances of Lillie out of the corner of her eye, convinced that what she had seen was nothing more than an illusion.

It was not. With every snippet of Lillie she saw, Serena knew she was not going insane. The similarity was real. It was undeniable. The pale blue of Lillie's dress. The way her hair parted like a veil draped over her head. The shape, the color, it was all the same.

It was the same as that horrible creature.

That loathsome, heinous _thing._ Beautiful and terrible beyond imagination, the stuff of nightmares. The more Serena thought about it, the more distance she put between herself and Lillie. Her spine tingled at the memory of its overpowering, malignant presence. Was it fear that had made her fall to her knees? Was it something more? Had it been a total failure of her fight-or-flight reaction, her instincts collapsing upon themselves when confronted with a danger so utterly beyond human experience? Was it simple weakness?

No, it could not have been. She remembered it too well. She had felt fear plenty of times before. This was something greater than fear. That beast had done more than frighten her. It had done something _to_ her. She was sure of it. She _felt_ it, the indescribable compulsion to submit. Its gaping maw beckoned her, called to her. It was almost like a voice, a malicious whisper in her ear telling her that beneath the veil was where she belonged, that it was meant for her. A whisper from beyond, and a hand on her shoulder, guiding her to the ground.

Serena wrapped her arms tightly around herself and tried not to shiver. She turned her head away from Lillie. She felt her mind slipping away from her as the pieces of the puzzle all began to slip into place.

That... _beast._ It was going to destroy her, end her. Take her body and her mind. Take her place.

When Serena closed her eyes, she saw the beast before her. This time, it was not as she remembered. There was no empty space inside its impossible geometry, no vacant cavity where its face was supposed to be. The veil had found a head.

It was Lillie's head.

Lillie was going to replace her.

It couldn't be true. It was impossible. Lillie was right there next to her, walking down the road through the Hau'oli outskirts.

It couldn't be real. It wasn't real. None of it was. It was all insane. It was all wrong. Lillie's hair, her dress, the beast... it was all a coincidence. Serena was sure it was her mind connecting dots that weren't there. But why did it feel so real? Was it because she was losing her mind? What other explanation was there?

No, she couldn't be going insane. If she knew she was going insane, that meant she wasn't going insane. That was how she always heard it was supposed to work. It couldn't be her. It was something else. It was the beast. It had poisoned her mind.

But that didn't make any sense, either. She had been going insane long before she saw the beast. It was something deeper. The beast wasn't causing this. Lillie wasn't causing this. She remembered it, seeing faces of people who weren't there, feeling eyes over her shoulder that were never looking at her.

It all started when Aria sent her the money.

Yes, that was it. The money. It was the cause of everything. All the secrecy, all the lies. It was the only reason she was where she was in the first place.

There was only one thing to do. As soon as Serena and Lillie returned to the lab, Serena rushed down the stairs to the computer terminal next to Professor Kukui's desk. She was relieved to find no one there. She logged into her email, and she typed. All the while, Cutiefly buzzed erratically around her.

 _Aria,_

 _I'm not sure if I should thank you or apologize to you first. I wish there was a way I could do both at the same time._

 _What you did for me by sending me the money was incredible. I did not deserve it. I can't thank you enough for it, but I never should have asked for it in the first place. I'm sorry I did, and I'm sorry about the way I asked you for it. It was wrong of me._

 _So, while I truly appreciate what you sent me, I don't think I should have it anymore. It was never right of me to have it, and it has caused more problems than I ever dreamed it would. I want to send it back to you. I don't know how, though. You sent it to me through an anonymous transfer. I don't know how you found my account information, and I have no idea how to find yours. I don't even know what name to search for! I know how fond you are of your secret identities._

 _I know this is weird. I know you have no reason to forgive me, but I'm trying so hard to do something right for once. Please, let me send this money back to you. There are a lot of things I have to fix, and this one should be the first. You deserve it._

 _I hope you're doing well, wherever you are, and I hope to hear from you soon._

 _-Serena_


	9. Us and Them

Chapter Nine – Us and Them

Serena struggled to sleep that night. The war of words inside her head reached a crescendo, raging without end while Lillie's pen scratched against the paper of her journal for hours. Serena laid awake, facing away from Lillie, trying not to explode. Mood swings swept over her like waves. Doubt gave way to fear, fear gave way to despair, despair gave way to anger, and anger led back to doubt.

There had been no opportunity to talk to Ash when she and Lillie returned from their shopping trip. Ash had been preoccupied in a rather involved experiment with Professor Kukui. Serena assumed there was no way she overheard it correctly, but it sounded like Professor Kukui was attempting to teach _Ash_ to use Sacred Fire.

Meanwhile, Braixen remained deep in meditation on the beach. The coconut still had not moved.

So, Serena spent the entire evening by herself, her mind consuming itself with worry. Cutiefly kept watch over her, and Sylveon curled up in her lap to soothe her, but nothing helped. There was too much on her mind. Too much was wrong. In the back of her mind, one thought in particular overstayed its welcome, a thought worse than all the rest.

What if this all was another trick?

There was something Lillie had not wanted to say, something that had made her eager to change the subject. It had something to do with Ash and his skill as a trainer. What was it, though? What did Lillie want from him? Had they been lured here? Was this another conspiracy?

Serena's mind spun out of control all night. She was desperate for answers, but unable to ask any questions. She wanted to rise from her bed, grab Lillie by the shoulders, and shake her until she answered. She wanted to descend the ladder, sneak into Ash's bedroom, wake him up, and force him to listen to her.

She never did, though. She remained beneath her bedsheets all night. Every time she stopped herself from getting up, it was for the same terrible reason.

There was no way anyone was going to believe her.

It was all insane. It couldn't be real. She knew it. She knew everyone else knew it. But the thoughts still lingered, and sleep never truly came.

The next morning, bleary-eyed, Serena waited as she listened to Lillie stir from her slumber. As soon as she heard Lillie's feet touch the floor, she spoke.

"Lillie."

Serena continued to lay on her cot, motionless, facing away from Lillie. She heard Lillie flinch and yelp in surprise.

"...Serena?" Lillie replied. She hesitated. Her voice was a strained whisper.

"I've been thinking about something," said Serena. She still did not move.

It was several seconds before Lillie responded.

"What are you even doing awake at this hour?" said Lillie. "You're never up before me. Did I keep you awake?"

"Not exactly."

"Huh?"

Serena rolled over to face Lillie and sat upright. She hoped she looked as haggard as she felt.

Based on Lillie's reaction, Serena figured she did.

"Goodness! Are you well? You look exhausted!"

"I said, I've been thinking about something," said Serena.

In Lillie's arms, Nebby yawned, then cuddled tighter against her. Lillie herself appeared deeply concerned.

"What in the world were you thinking about?" said Lillie. "It looks like it kept you up all night!"

Serena held Lillie's gaze for a few seconds before she spoke.

"Yesterday, when we were out shopping, you said something about things making so much more sense after I mentioned how Ash and I stopped Team Flare."

Serena let the words hang in the air. She and Lillie started at each other in silence.

When Lillie did not speak, Serena narrowed her eyes. She leaned further forward.

"What did you mean?" she said.

"Oh, well... there's something I need to talk to Ash about, actually," said Lillie.

"About what?" said Serena.

Lillie bit her lip and looked away for a moment. Her voice was heavy with embarrassment when she spoke again.

"I... need to ask for his help with something."

"His help?" said Serena. "With what?"

Lillie's lips tightened. Her eyes shifted downward toward Nebby, clutched in her arms.

"I know this sounds crazy, but... I need help finding a way to send Nebby home."

Serena's mouth opened, but nothing came out. She stared at Lillie. Lillie brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"It really does sound crazy, doesn't it?"

"I... don't understand," said Serena.

Lillie sighed.

"Oh, dear," she said. "There's a lot I haven't explained to you, isn't there? I'm sorry about that. It's all so bizarre that I honestly never expected anyone to believe me. Knowing that Ash has encountered legendary Pokémon changes that, though."

Serena did not say a word. She followed Lillie with her eyes as Lillie sat down on the edge of the sofa bed, opposite her.

"When Nebby teleported us to save us from Ash's tsunami move, did you... see anything unusual?" said Lillie.

Serena's pupils shrank.

"Yes."

"Was it... a place?" said Lillie. "Somewhere far from here?"

Serena merely nodded this time.

"I suspected you did," said Lillie. "That jump took a while. It's likely that Ash and Professor Kukui saw it, too."

"...Did _you?"_ said Serena.

Lillie nodded.

"That place... it's not on Earth. It's not in our universe, actually. It's Nebby's homeworld."

Serena's eyes shifted from Lillie's face to Lillie's arms. None the wiser, Nebby appeared to be fast asleep.

"Nebby isn't supposed to be here," said Lillie. "Not in our world, and certainly not here with me. It takes too much energy for Nebby to teleport all the way from our dimension to its own, and vice versa. Nebby never could have made it all the way to our world under its own power, and it can't make the return trip, either. So, I'm trying to find a way to help Nebby return home. Professor Burnet has been doing her best to help me through her dimensional research, but I'm afraid that won't be enough. That's why..."

"...you need Ash."

Serena finished Lillie's sentence. Lillie nodded.

"Yes," said Lillie. "The legends of Alola's four guardian deities seem to hold some clues as to how we might be able to open a portal to Nebby's dimension. It may only be myth and conjecture, but it's the best hope I have. Unfortunately, I'm not a trainer, but I need to take Nebby to each of the shrines to the tapu. That means traveling all across Alola, and I..."

Lillie shook her head.

"I can't do it alone," she said. "I'm not strong enough. I know Ash is, though, and you... you've helped show me that when you truly need it, it's okay to ask for help."

Serena sat there, stunned. Lillie wanted to ask Ash to go on a journey with her.

There was no way Ash ever would refuse.

"I do understand that it's an awful lot to ask," said Lillie. She looked at the floor.

"Well, maybe so," said Serena. "If it's alright with you, though, I'd like to talk to him about it first, before you ask him."

Lillie nodded eagerly.

"Oh, yes, of course!" she said. "It would be terribly improper of me to ask such a thing of him without first sharing my intent with you and giving the two of you time to discuss it."

Serena wasn't sure how to reply. There was still something on her mind.

"None of that answers my question, though," she said. "What _made sense?"_

"Oh, right," said Lillie. "I'm sorry. I never did answer that, did I? It's not a very interesting answer, though, certainly not after everything I've shared with you. Professor Kukui was searching for a skilled trainer to help him with his research, and when he heard about Ash, he thought he may have found someone who could help both him and me. I didn't understand why he was so adamant about it until yesterday."

Serena's face went slack.

"Oh."

"I suppose that's kind of an anti-climax, isn't it?" said Lillie. She smiled nervously.

Serena did not speak. She nodded.

Lillie abruptly stood.

"Well, I need to get on with my morning routine," she said. "I'll be waiting to hear what you and Ash decide!"

Lillie headed for the ladder. She mounted it, then took a few steps down before she stopped. She took a step back up and peeked her head into the loft.

"Not to rush you, of course!" she said. "I would never want to do that. Please, take as much time as you need. I understand."

Lillie disappeared down the ladder.

Serena was certain Lillie did not understand. Covering her face with her pillow, she flopped backward onto her cot.

* * *

The next time Serena opened her eyes, it was late afternoon. She woke up and found herself sweaty from the warmth of the sheets combined with the heat of the blazing sun. After showering, she stepped outside. Ash was hard at work demonstrating moves with Greninja for Professor Kukui. A short distance away on the beach, Braixen and the coconut remained in the exact same spot. Neither had moved.

When Ash noticed Serena standing on the front porch, he left Greninja to continue with Professor Kukui and came to her.

"There you are!" he said, climbing the front steps. "Lillie said you were still asleep. I thought you might sleep the whole day!"

Serena yawned.

"Honestly, I could," she said. Ash frowned.

"Are you okay?" he said.

Serena waited a moment to respond.

"No," she said.

"No? What's wrong? Are you sick?"

"I'm not sick," said Serena. "Just... stressed."

"Stressed?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"We really, really need to talk."

"What's going on?"

Ash's voice was full of concern. It made Serena cringe deep inside. She sighed.

"A lot," she said. "There's a lot going on. And... maybe this isn't the best time to talk about it all."

"It's not?" said Ash.

Serena shook her head.

"It's complicated," she said. "I need more time."

"More time?"

"More time to explain everything. More time to prepare. More time to _sleep."_

It was such an easy excuse that she couldn't help but cling to it.

"I'm so tired," she said. "I was up all night last night, worrying."

"What were you worried about?"

"Everything. But mostly us."

"Us?" said Ash.

"Yes, us. Our relationship."

"Why?"

Serena wasn't sure where to begin.

"It's not that something is wrong," said Serena. "It's that I'm worried that something could _go wrong._ I want to talk about it before it becomes a problem. It's complicated, though. This isn't the best time."

Serena wondered what the point was of telling Ash they needed to talk if all she wanted to do was delay the conversation.

"What time would work better?" said Ash.

Serena exhaled, exasperated.

"After I've had a good night's sleep, _"_ she said.

"Tomorrow?" said Ash.

"I hope."

"Do you want to talk tomorrow?"

Serena's answer was yes. _Tomorrow_ was always the day she wanted to talk.

"Maybe," said Serena. "I had another idea about tomorrow, though."

"What is it?"

"Our date."

A tenuous smile formed on Serena's lips. Ash tilted his head.

"But aren't we still on break?" he said.

"Yes, but we agreed to end the break after we went on a date, remember?"

"Yeah, but... are we ready?"

"I don't know," said Serena. "There's only one way to find out, though."

Ash smiled. It was something he would say, and Serena knew it.

"We don't have to end our break, either," said Serena. "We can give things a try and see how it goes. If we're not ready, then we can try again another time. It doesn't have to mean that we're getting serious again. I just..."

Serena trailed off. She poked the tips of her forefingers together.

"I really want to spend some alone time with you," she said.

Ash scratched the back of his head and laughed.

"So, tomorrow?" he said.

Serena's heart fluttered. Under normal circumstances, a date with Ash would have been an outstanding reason to spend an entire day worrying about her outfit, her hair, her makeup, what they would do, and every other minuscule detail imaginable. Under the present circumstances, it sounded like a wonderful reprieve.

An escape.

"I would _love_ to go out tomorrow," said Serena. "Tomorrow night, I guess, after we're done with whatever the professor has for us."

"Sounds good to me!" said Ash. He continued to scratch the back of his head. "But, uh, what do we, you know, _do?"_

Serena's face slackened into a look of mild surprise.

"Huh?" she said.

Ash looked aside and rubbed a finger under his nose.

"You know," he said. "What do we do on a date? On TV and stuff it's always dinner and a movie and stuff like that. Is that what we do?"

Serena laughed.

"We don't have to do that," she said. "A date can be whatever we want it to be! Dinner and a movie sounds kind of boring, honestly. We can do that anywhere."

Serena wasn't sure if Ash looked more relieved or more confused.

"Why?" she said. "Do you have something in mind?"

Ash grinned.

"Maybe!"

* * *

The next day flew past. In part, the apparent acceleration of time was caused by their shortened workday. For reasons unexplained, Professor Kukui called it a day at noon. Not long after that, he left. Lillie did not seem surprised by his departure.

Serena checked the calendar on her tablet. Once again, she had lost track of the days. It was Thursday. Professor Kukui was probably getting a head start on traveling to Akala Island to see Professor Burnet again. Serena settled on that explanation and gave it no more thought.

Instead, she had plenty of time to think as she spent the afternoon preparing for the date. She and Ash agreed to leave for Hau'oli City at five o'clock, and she spent the next few hours in the bathroom, devoting far more effort than was necessary to grooming herself.

She knew it was excessive. It made no sense. Ash was about as likely to notice she was wearing makeup as he was to solve one of the equations Professor Kukui had scribbled on the whiteboard in the basement. Still, she could not help but obsess. She wanted to look perfect. She wanted to win his heart all over again.

Or perhaps, secure it.

She knew she had crossed the line when she brushed her teeth for the third time. It was only through a great deal of effort that she convinced herself to put everything down and exit the bathroom.

When she did, she found Lillie standing outside the door.

Lillie's mouth opened, and her eyes looked Serena up and down. Serena smirked, eager for a chance to show off. She wore the pink sundress she purchased with Lillie. Her hair looked like something out of a shampoo advertisement. Her makeup was flawless - subtle, with just a touch of blush on the cheeks.

"You were in there so long that I was concerned," said Lillie. "But… I think I know why, now."

"What do you think?" said Serena.

"It is not my style, but I must admit, you wear it very well," said Lillie. She looked apologetic.

Serena knew it was the best compliment she was going to get.

"Thank you," said Serena.

"Is there a special occasion?" said Lillie.

Serena's eyebrows raised. Lillie didn't know, then.

"There is!" said Serena. "Ash and I are going on a date."

Lillie blinked a few times.

"Oh! Well, um… I hope you two have a lovely time together."

At that, Lillie excused herself, ducked around Serena, and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Serena returned to the loft and grabbed her bag. She checked the time on her tablet. It was almost five o'clock. She climbed back down to the first floor, Cutiefly buzzing around her as she descended.

At the bottom of the ladder, Serena stopped, and she held out her finger like a perch. Cutiefly landed on it. She stared at Serena, then tilted her head and chirped merrily. Serena smiled.

"I don't know how you do it, but you really can read my mind, can't you?"

Cutiefly chirped again, an intentional non-answer. Serena rolled her eyes and shrugged. She sighed, then stroked a fingertip down Cutiefly's back.

"This is going to be good," she said. "This will be good for me. For us. We need this. _I_ need this. I can do this. I can handle this. I can handle anything."

For once, she believed herself. This was the first step of getting things back on track.

"Ash and I are going to have a good time, and I'm going to talk to him, and maybe it will be hard, but I can do this. We can do this."

She stroked Cutiefly again.

"I'll see you when I get back, okay?"

Cutiefly chirped once more, then lifted into the air and buzzed away.

Serena donned her straw hat and stepped outside onto the porch. She found Ash already there, leaning against the railing, watching the Pokémon on the beach. He turned to look when the door opened.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," Serena replied. She walked up next to him, and she placed her hand on top of his, on top of the railing.

On the beach, Pikachu was sparring with several Pokémon at the same time. Pancham struggled like mad to hit Pikachu. Pikachu ducked and swerved, easily dodging Pancham's flurry of blows. When Pancham tired out, Greninja stepped in until Pancham could recover, trading blows with Pikachu. Meanwhile, Rowlet sat atop the nearest palm tree, occasionally firing a Leafage at Pikachu as an added obstacle.

Closer to the lab and farther away from the battle, Sylveon played with Nebby, constructing another sandcastle. Serena was impressed. Each sand castle Sylveon built was better than the last. This one was elaborate, with several towers. Sylveon sculpted a brick pattern on the walls with her feelers while Nebby puffed about in the moat, guarding the castle from invaders.

But what caught Serena's eye the most was Greninja. She watched Greninja as he stepped aside and Pancham joined the melee with Pikachu again. She followed his eyes. Greninja was not watching the battle. He was watching Braixen.

Braixen sat in the same place as the day before, and the day before that. So did the coconut. Braixen had not moved at all. She had refused both food and water when Serena took it to her. She sat there like a statue, unmoving despite the breeze tousling her fur and the commotion taking place behind her.

Serena's eyes lingered for a while, but they snapped to Ash when he spoke.

"Are ya ready to go?" said Ash.

"Absolutely," said Serena. "I'm excited! Are you?"

"Oh yeah!" said Ash. "This is gonna be great."

The two of them descended the front steps and then joined hands again, walking up the beach and toward the road to town.

Serena leaned in closer to Ash and held onto his arm with both of her hands.

"So, what's the plan for tonight?" she asked.

"Haha! Oh man, it's gonna be awesome," said Ash.

"Are you going to tell me what you're talking about, or are you going to keep teasing me?" said Serena.

"I can do better than tell you," said Ash. He jammed a hand into one of his pockets. "I can show you!"

He held up two pieces of paper that looked like ticket stubs.

Serena took one from him. Her face scrunched up as she read it.

 _ONE NIGHT ONLY -_ _POKÉ_ _MON WRESTLING FEDERATION: BATTLE ROYAL - HAU'OLI CITY ARENA_

* * *

An hour later, Serena found herself holding onto Ash's hand as they stood in a large crowd outside the gates of Hau'oli City Arena. She had never been less comfortable in a crowd. She had been less conspicuous when she kissed Ash in the middle of a circle of reporters.

She and Ash were surrounded on all sides by people who were dressed in black. Many of them wore bandanas. Even more of them were either covered in tattoos, had dyed their hair bizarre colors, or both. The air reeked of sweat and cigarette smoke. She couldn't tell if all the posturing she saw was for show or if there was actually a risk of a massive fight breaking out at any moment. She had already seen two impromptu rap battles.

One person nearby carried a cardboard sign under his arm with the words _MASKED ROYAL SUX_ written in black marker.

Serena clung to Ash's arm. She wanted to hide behind him, even disappear into him. She felt eyes looking her up and down from all directions. This was not a place for a pretty girl in a pink sundress.

She whispered into Ash's ear.

"Ash! What _is_ this?"

Ash shrugged.

"Dunno, but Professor Kukui said it would be a good time," he said. "He gave me the tickets."

Serena could not imagine why Professor Kukui would ever have tickets to such an event, but she knew better than to question it at this point.

"Are we even _safe_ here?" she said.

"I think so," said Ash. "Tough crowd, huh?"

A space opened up in the crowd nearby, and cheers erupted. A girl dressed in black stood in the middle of a circle of onlookers, chugging from a bottle of clear liquid that Serena was certain was not water.

Serena averted her eyes. A moment later, she heard retching sounds, followed by a sickly splash. Ash's disgusted reaction told Serena everything she needed to know.

A few minutes later, the gates opened. They made it through security with minimal difficulty, though the same could not be said for some of the rowdier members of the crowd. She looked back to see a shouting match unfolding between a guard and a group of black-clad people, with several more guards rushing in to break it up. They rounded a corner before she could see the outcome.

She and Ash followed the signs and the numbers on their tickets. The deeper they went into the arena, the less rowdy the crowd became. When they spoke to an usher for help finding their seats, they were astonished to find that their seats were all the way down on the floor of the arena, in the front row next to the ring. The handful of people who had already made their way down there seemed civil in comparison.

She sat down next to Ash and gazed around. High up beneath the rafters, in the very back rows of the upper deck, she saw groups of people dressed in black congregating. Their whoops and shouts echoed throughout the arena, carrying over the murmur of the gathering crowd.

She knew it was going to be a strange evening.

* * *

What unfolded over the next two hours was the strangest spectacle Serena had ever seen in-person. Flashing lights, pyrotechnics, and deafening music accompanied dozens of absurdly fit men dressed in tights and little else on their way to the ring, each with a Pokémon by their side. In the ring, four Pokémon and their trainers all battled each other at the same time.

There was so much happening at once that it was impossible to follow, yet it was plain to see, especially so close to the front, that all of the action and violence was staged. The wrestlers and their Pokémon all seemed to be characters, and both they and the gaudy, gilded belts they battled for appeared to be part of some kind of storyline. It made Serena's head spin.

And then, it nearly spun off her shoulders when Professor Kukui appeared on the entrance stage.

Serena and Ash were not alone in instinctively standing up. The entire crowd erupted and jumped to its feet. Her and Ash's simultaneous exclamations of _Professor?!_ were lost in the commotion, a sea of equally raucous cheers and boos.

Although, Serena was pretty sure that most of the boos came from the unsavory characters in the upper deck seats.

Even with his face covered by a mask, it was unmistakably Professor Kukui. Next to him was a ferocious-looking Pokémon that was introduced on flashing screens all around as Incineroar. She wondered if that was its real name.

When the announcer in the ring spoke into the microphone, Serena finally learned who it was that the guy with the sign thought sucked.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the ring, from your very own Hau'oli City, _The Masked Royal!"_

The Masked Royal took on a group of three challengers who were all dressed in black and looked very much like the people in the crowd who supported them. It was no surprise at all when The Masked Royal defeated all of them, with Incineroar finishing the job by using an incredible move which involved leaping from the turnbuckle in the corner of the ring and crashing down like a meteor.

When the match was over and the event ended, Serena and Ash made their way back out onto the streets. They passed several groups of black-clad individuals who loudly complained about the outcome of The Masked Royal's match, using language as colorful as their hair. Despite everyone in black seeming to be in agreement, several fights broke out and had to be broken up either by security guards or the police.

A while later, the two of them made their way to a more peaceful area of the city. They had been quiet for a long time. It seemed that neither one of them knew what to say.

While they waited at a stoplight, Serena made an attempt to summarize her thoughts.

"Well, that... _happened,"_ she said.

"Yeah, it… sure did."

She and Ash looked at each other. They laughed. What else could they do? Professor Kukui was a professional wrestler. So many things made sense now.

"So, now what?" said Serena.

"I dunno," said Ash. "That was all I had planned. It's gonna be hard to top that."

"I would say dinner, but honestly, I'm not that hungry," said Serena.

Ash held a hand to his stomach.

"Well, you know me," he said. "I never say no to food."

They crossed the street together. The beachfront loomed ahead. Near the stairs which led down to the beach, people waited in line at an ice cream stand. Serena had an idea.

"How do you feel about ice cream cones and long walks on the beach?"

* * *

The wait in the ice cream line was longer than Serena liked, but as soon as she bit into her cone, she knew it was worth it. It was so good. According to the menu, it was a world-famous variety from Unova.

She and Ash descended the steps to the beach, kicked off their shoes, and walked out onto the sand. Compared to the daytime, the beach was nearly deserted. The handful of other people there all seemed to be doing the exact same thing they were doing.

Serena picked a relatively empty spot near the shore, as far away from other couples as they could get. She sat down, and Ash sat down beside her. The munched on their ice cream cones for a while. Ash finished his long before Serena finished hers, and so he began talking, going on and on about how awesome Professor Kukui had been in the ring.

Although Serena agreed, by the time she finished her cone, she had heard enough. There were so many other things she wanted to talk about. She interrupted him.

"Ash."

"Hm?"

Ash stopped mid-sentence and looked at her.

"What's up?" he said.

So many things were up.

"Do you want to walk with me?" said Serena.

"Sure."

The two of them stood. Serena took Ash by the hand and led him slowly down the shoreline, leaving a trail of footprints behind them.

It took Serena a minute to speak again.

"Do you remember the day we met?" she asked.

"Well, yeah," said Ash.

"But do you really, really _remember_ it?"

"Kinda? I mean, you helped jog my memory. I forgot a lot of it. It was a long time ago, you know?"

Serena was not at all surprised. She knew what she was about to ask was a long shot at best.

"Do you remember what I was wearing that day?"

"Yeah! A straw hat!"

Ash tapped the brim of Serena's hat with his finger. Serena frowned.

"I mean _other_ than my straw hat."

"Oh. Wow, uh…"

Ash looked up at the sky. The stars were beginning to come out.

"I dunno," he said. "I don't remember."

Serena was more disappointed than she expected. She didn't know why. She never expected him to remember. It was only a wish, at most.

"I thought so," she said.

"Do you remember?" said Ash. "I hope you weren't counting on me."

"Of course I remember!" said Serena. "That's the whole point! I'm wearing a dress just like the one I wore that day!"

"Oh…"

Ash eyed her up and down. His eyes lingered for a while. No sign of recognition appeared in them

"Well, I still don't remember," he said. "You look really pretty, though."

The halfway nervous laugh Ash made and the foolish smile on his face told Serena that he meant it. She bit her lip and looked away, brushing a strand of hair away from her face with her hand.

"Thank you," she said.

She paused for a moment, then looked back at him.

"I really wanted to look good for you tonight," she said. "It's weird saying it, but this is our first date, you know?"

Ash scratched his chin.

"Yeah, I always thought going on a date was the first step," he said. "That's what it's like in all the movies and stuff."

"Maybe so," said Serena. "There's not much about us that's typical, though, is there?"

"Haha! No, not really."

It was quiet for a while as they continued their walk. Ash was the one to break the silence.

"I don't know why you felt like you had to be pretty just for today," he said. "You're pretty every day."

The more Serena talked to him about it, the more it seemed like every idea Ash had about romance came from a movie. It had to be the most obvious, clichéd thing he possibly could have said. Somehow, it still made her heart feel like it was going to melt.

Because it was _him._

"Ash…"

"What?"

"Do you mean that?"

"Yeah, I'm serious."

"Hm."

Did he really mean it? Did he _mean_ it, or was it something he heard on TV years ago that he summoned for the moment? He hated romance movies, but still, he had to have heard something over the years, hadn't he?

Did he really think like that? Did he really pay attention to how she looked? How _anyone_ looked?

"Do you think Lillie is pretty?" said Serena.

Ash looked startled.

"Huh?" he said.

"I mean it," said Serena. "Honest answer. Do you think Lillie is pretty?"

Ash rubbed his neck and struggled to form words.

"This is a trick question, isn't it?" he said.

How Ash ever could have been savvy enough to recognize such a scenario was beyond Serena. It was also beside the point.

"Yes or no, Ash," she said.

Ash clenched his mouth shut and looked away.

"Yes."

Serena expected to feel like she had been punched in the stomach. Instead, she felt nothing. Nothing at all. She sighed.

Ash continued to look away.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Oh, don't be," said Serena. She scoffed, but it was not at Ash. It was at herself. "I asked you for an honest answer and you gave it to me. It's not your fault. None of this is."

"Huh?"

"It's all in my head," said Serena. "All of my problems."

"I don't know what you mean," said Ash.

"I think Lillie is pretty, too!" said Serena. "I think she's prettier than me, and, just... _better_ than me,and it's driving me crazy!"

Ash gave her a confused look.

"Why?" he said.

"What do you mean, _why?"_

"Why does it matter?" said Ash. "You're _you_. Lillie isn't."

"Because I'm afraid!"

"Of what?"

"Everything! I've been waiting for this relationship for my whole life, and I'm so afraid of losing you or messing things up with you that I feel like _everything_ is a threat!"

Serena could not believe she said it. Ash's response was even harder to believe.

"I… kinda know what you mean."

"You do?"

"I still don't know what to do around you. I feel like everything I do could be some huge mistake. I just really, really don't want to hurt you."

"I know that you never would," said Serena. "Not on purpose."

"I don't wanna hurt you by accident, either."

"You're not your dad, Ash, no matter how much you wanted to be like him."

Ash's mouth dropped open, and his eyes widened. He looked away.

"Can we… _not_ talk about him?" he said.

Serena regretted everything.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just remember what you said on the beach in Monego City about love, and your mom, and… _him._ What you were saying now sounded really similar, that's all."

"I don't wanna talk about it," said Ash.

"That's okay," said Serena. "We don't have to. I'm sorry I brought it up."

Ash's hand felt clammy in hers. Serena wondered if it was possible to kick herself in the face.

They continued down the beach in silence for a while. They passed a few other couples, each having quiet, intimate conversations as they sat on the sand. It made Serena feel sick to her stomach.

Once they were out of earshot of anyone else, she spoke up again.

"I always thought this would be easier than it is," she said.

Ash looked at her for a moment before looking away again. He didn't say anything.

"I didn't understand that relationships were so complicated," said Serena. "I thought being with you was going to be so _easy._ I always thought getting together was going to be the hardest part. I thought that my feelings for you were the only thing that mattered."

Serena slumped her shoulders, then looked up at the sky.

"I love you!" she said. "That's it! That's all there is to it! Why doesn't that make this any easier?"

Ash looked at her, his mouth open. He hesitated for a moment, then began to form a sound. Serena interrupted him.

"Don't," she said. "Please don't. Not right now. It's not the right time. I don't want this to be the first time we both say it to each other."

Ash tightened his lips. He looked at his feet. Serena looked up at the sky again.

"Apparently, we don't get to have fun," she said. "Instead, we get to have difficult conversations. I get a million questions swimming around inside my brain all the time, and you get to have a girlfriend who probably seems like she's going insane."

Serena did not allow the inevitable awkward silence to settle in.

"There's something else really important that I need to talk to you about," she said.

"What is it?"

Serena bit the inside of her lip and took a deep breath. There was no going back.

"It's about Lillie," said Serena.

"Lillie?" said Ash. "Again?"

"Yes, again."

Serena stopped walking. Still anchored to her by the hand, Ash took only one more step before turning around.

"She… wants to ask you something," said Serena. "Or maybe us, technically, but really, it's a question for you. I'm only involved because of you."

"What is it?" said Ash.

"It's a favor," said Serena. "A big favor, I think. I don't know how big it is, honestly, but I kind of have an idea. And really, calling it a _favor_ isn't right. She wants to ask you for _help."_

"Help? With what?"

"With Nebby."

Ash scratched his cheek.

"I guess I see what you mean," he said. "Nebby's kind of a handful, escaping all the time. But I'm pretty good at catching it again, so I see why she would wanna ask me to help out."

Serena shook her head. Ash went quiet.

"That's not what I mean," she said. "There's more to this."

Serena rubbed her temples with her fingers. She spoke again in a hushed tone.

"Lillie says that Nebby isn't from this world," she said. "She wants your help to find a way to send Nebby home."

Ash's mouth hung open.

"For real?" he said.

"I don't know. Lillie seems sure, though. And I... I trust her."

"How do we send Nebby home?"

"I have no idea. Lillie doesn't know, either. That's why she wants your help. She thinks that you might be able to help her find the answer."

"Why me?" said Ash. "I don't know anything about this. Wouldn't Professor Kukui or Burnet be better?"

"Professor Burnet is already helping Lillie," said Serena. "You know, the _dimensional research_ lab. Lillie thinks there's something more than science involved in this, though."

"What does that mean?" said Ash.

"I'm not sure. When we met Lillie and Nebby, they were on their way to the ruins where Tapu Koko lives. For some reason, Lillie wants to take Nebby to visit the ruins of each of Alola's guardian deities. And… Lillie can't do that on her own. She's not a trainer."

The confusion in Ash's eyes began to melt away, transforming into something more like wonder.

Serena recognized it all too well. It was wanderlust.

"That's why she wants your help," she said. "You're something that Professor Burnet and Kukui are not. You're an incredible trainer. Lillie wants you to help her and Nebby travel to the ruins on each of Alola's islands."

In the brief silence that followed, Serena saw it in Ash's eyes, the unmistakable glint that shone whenever there was the prospect of a new adventure. She knew there was no stopping it. As soon as the idea was in his head, his mind was already decided. Always. It was already over.

Ash's hands curled into fists.

"Oh man," he said. It was obvious he could barely contain his excitement. He was almost quivering as he spoke. "You mean a journey all over Alola?"

There was no point in explaining anything more to Ash. The rest was a mere formality. He would never turn down the opportunity. Never. Not for her. Not for anyone, or anything.

Serena spoke without thinking.

"Yes, I think so," she said. "Lillie has been nervous to ask you about this because of how much she would be asking. I told her I would talk to you about it first, to see what you thought."

A complete lie. Not of words, but of intent. She wanted to talk to Ash about it first so she could stop him from doing it, but she knew it was hopeless.

The smile that crept its way onto Serena's face was even more of a lie. The truth was impossible, irrelevant, nonexistent. The truth was difficult. Lying was so much easier. It was natural, effortless, unconscious.

How could she admit the truth? The truth was such an ugly thing, a repulsive, withered wretch of doubt and fear and anger and hatred and selfishness and all the things in the world she was not supposed to be. How could she tell Ash that she feared Lillie was going to take him from her? It would expose her as the fraud she truly was. As soon as the light shone on the truth, he would see what she saw in the mirror every day - a clueless, worthless, frightened girl who was insecure to the point of desperation, to the point of throwing away everything good about herself just to keep up her charade of confidence and composure for one more moment.

She could not be exposed. She would sooner show Ash every inch of her bare body than show him what a disaster she truly was inside.

She said some more words. Ash said some, too. She had no idea what any of them were. She made some facial expressions. She faked a laugh.

It was pointless. Absolutely pointless. The struggle inside her head was for nothing. It didn't matter what she was, or what she was supposed to be. The more she hid from the truth, the more obvious the truth became. She was nothing. She was nobody.

Her entire being was based on others - the things she did for others, how she made them feel, how they felt about her. All of her ideas were about other people. She defined herself through other people. Every action she had taken, even if she deluded herself into saying it was for herself, was because of someone else. Her entire life had consisted of nothing but trying to please people. She knew no other existence. It was her only purpose. And if she could not make others happy, what good was she to anyone?

How could she possibly deny Ash anything? He was the hero. He lived for adventure. How could she tell him that she didn't want him to go on another adventure and be the hero again? How could she admit that it was all because she was afraid of losing him to Lillie? The implications said more about herself in one sentence than she could have said in a lifetime. Her friendship with Lillie was forced, fraudulent, a ruse to both make herself feel like she was being good for someone and to provide her with a way to spy on Lillie's true intentions. But worse than that, it meant one crucial thing that could never, _ever_ come to light.

She did not trust Ash.

They sat down on the sand. Held hands. Cuddled up close. Said sweet nothings. Serena wasn't there.

What right did she have to tell him how to live his life? What gave her the authority to demand he not interact with someone who clearly possessed nothing but good intentions and was obviously in need of help? She knew she would hate it if he said the same thing to her. She would never stand for it. How could she do it to him? It was his life to live. Not hers. He was the hero. Not her. This was his journey, his story. Not hers. It was only because of him that she was in this story at all.

She could not tell him the truth. She could not demand anything of him. She had no grounds to do so, not when she was such a terrible, awful liar. Not when she was such a spiteful, deceitful disgrace of a person. She could never let him see it. Never. It would be the end of everything. Her entire life's work, all leading up to being with him, destroyed.

She climbed on top of him. Kissed him. Put her hands up his shirt. Anything to distract him from how awful she was.

She was desperate. Desperate to hide. Desperate to tell the truth. Desperate for more, for anything. Any sign, any reassurance at all. Desperate for trust. Desperate for freedom. Freedom from the burden of both truth and lies. Freedom from herself.

They made out like the world would end tomorrow. Serena felt nothing at all.

* * *

When they returned to the lab later that night, Serena gave Ash a kiss goodnight and then slumped down on the floor outside the door to his room, her back against the wall. Her mind was like a TV screen full of static, both nothing and far too much at the same time. She could barely remember anything she said in the last hour, nor how they even made it home.

It was late. The lamp was still on in the loft. Despite the hissing, tearing static in her brain, Serena could hear the scratching of pen against paper in the near-silence. Lillie was still writing in her journal, well into the night.

Serena removed her hat and pulled her knees up to her chest. With her arms wrapped around her legs, she rested her head against her knees and closed her eyes. Closing her eyes did nothing. It was already as if she could not see.

She was not going to go up there. Not while Lillie was awake. She would sooner sleep on the floor than be in Lillie's waking presence.

Serena sat there until she became sore. When she moved, the floorboards beneath her creaked. For a moment, the endless scratching of the pen stopped.

But then, it started again.

Serena stood. She wandered over to the window. Braixen was still out there on the beach, trying to move the coconut. The coconut had not budged. Neither had she.

Serena considered going outside, talking to Braixen, telling her to come inside and rest. She could not bring herself to do it. Braixen never made a promise that she wouldn't give up, but she was keeping it anyway.

Since the loft was not an option, Serena wandered down the staircase to the lower level. The same ethereal blue light as always shimmered on the walls. Poliwhirl was asleep in its hammock. The Corsola and Luvdisc in the aquarium all huddled together, drifting in slumber at the bottom of the tank.

Serena was all alone.

Taking slow, silent steps, she meandered toward the opposite wall with the giant bookcase, approaching the empty computer terminal. She slid the chair out from under the terminal desk and sat down, then pulled herself back toward the desk, tucking her legs underneath it. She looked at the monitor. It was not on. She shook the mouse. Nothing happened. She searched for the power button on the monitor, pressed it, then shook the mouse again.

A moment later, the monitor flared to life. She stared at a login screen. She logged into the guest profile and was greeted by a nearly-empty desktop. The only icon on it was a shortcut for a web browser. She clicked on it. A few moments later, a completely empty page appeared on the screen. The address bar had nothing in it. The cursor blinked, waiting for her input. She thought for a moment, and then she typed.

A few login screens later, she stared at her email inbox. There was nothing new waiting for her. She checked her outbox. Her last two messages were to Aria. The money order remained the only reply she ever received, not a single word in return.

Serena sighed. Even with her messages to Aria included, there was hardly anything in her outbox. She had barely ever used the account for anything. It just so happened that the one thing she used it for in recent memory had become one of the most monumental events of her life. Had she not been so drained, she would have rolled her eyes at the irony.

She opened another tab in the browser. She typed. She clicked. She scrolled. She checked her bank account balance. She was still a millionaire. She had spent more money in the last few weeks than in all her travels through Kalos combined, and it had not made even the slightest dent in her fortune.

What was she supposed to do with it all? She had so much money that it was almost like it was useless. She had already purchased everything she needed, but the remaining mountain of her secret fortune sat there, meaningless numbers on a screen, doing nothing. The money was doing nothing for her, and she wondered if it ever truly had done anything for her. It was worse than useless. It was a burden.

Palermo's words from their limousine ride went through her head.

 _Money can't solve every problem. But it can solve most of them._

It made Serena feel sick to her stomach. Palermo was right. She was right about the money, and she may have been right about even more than the money.

 _You don't have it._

It felt like a self-demonstrating truth at this point. Of course she didn't have it. She never did. _It_ was never for herself in the first place. Her entire showcase career had been an effort to better herself in Ash's eyes. She had no business making it as far as she did. She was a fraud.

Serena closed her bank account tab and returned to her email. The page remained on her outbox, as sparse as ever. But as she navigated the menu, there was a hitch in her breath, and her heart skipped a beat. She could not believe her eyes.

 _Inbox (1)_

Her fingers suddenly stiff, Serena hesitated for several seconds, convinced that her eyes were deceiving her. When she clicked on her inbox, she found that she was not mistaken.

There was a new email, and it was from Aria.

Her hand trembling, Serena clicked on it. A new window opened. Her jaw dropped.

 _Account #493649721_

 _Routing #151251386_

That was it. There was nothing else.

Bank account information. The bare minimum required to send the money back, and not a word more. Serena slumped backward in her chair and stared at the screen, agape.

She read it again and again, hoping to find some deeper message, some greater meaning, anything whatsoever that constituted real human interaction. There was nothing. The numbers hit her like a punch to the gut.

Alone in the faint light, Serena covered her face with her hands and sank deeper into her chair. She felt like a fool for hoping for anything else. What did Aria owe her? Nothing.

After several minutes of shielding her eyes from the screen, Serena looked again. Nothing had changed. The message remained the same. There was nothing new waiting for her in her inbox.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she sat upright again and opened another new tab. She navigated back to her bank account, opened a transfer request, and began to type.

One at a time, taking care to match each number, she copied the account and routing numbers into the transfer form. Then, she began to enter her account balance. When she reached the final number, she stopped.

She was a single keystroke and a few clicks away from having nothing once again. It felt right. It was fitting, a return to what she truly deserved and what she had earned. It was the penance she needed to pay.

And yet, she hesitated. Without the money, what was she going to do? She would not be able to rely on her friends for help the next time she needed it. She had surely squandered that goodwill. Not even her mother would be able to help her.

Her fingers hovered over the final key. She pulled her hands away, folded her arms, and gazed at the ceiling.

A few minutes later, Serena returned her hands to the keyboard. She typed the final digit. Then, she moved her cursor back to the first digit.

She subtracted one. She clicked _Send._

Ten percent. She kept ten percent. Her account balance page confirmed it. She was no longer a millionaire, but she still had an emergency fund large enough that it guaranteed she would never be reduced to begging again.

She had what she needed now. She felt filthy.

It was yet another lie. Even when attempting to right her wrongs, she could not stop lying. She had deceived Aria once again.

She resisted the urge to log off in disgust. She knew this was not the end. It was not over yet. There was still something she could do.

She went back to her email account. She clicked _Reply_ on Aria's response. She typed.

Minutes passed, the clacking of the keyboard the only sound. She typed, she deleted, she typed again. And again. She erased, she rewrote, she reorganized. It was a mess, just like her. Her hands grew cold. She sat on them for a while to warm them up, reading and rereading what she wrote. And then, she wrote some more.

More time passed. She stopped. She noticed the clock in the corner of the screen. It was past midnight. It was tomorrow, the day she always wanted to wait for before doing anything.

The words sprawled before her, the pale light from the screen straining her eyes more and more every minute.

 _Aria,_

 _I have so much to say and I don't know where to start. I did a bad job of explaining everything in my last message. If it's okay with you, I would like to try again._

 _I think the very first thing I should do is apologize to you, for a bunch of things. First, I apologize to you for asking you for money. It was inappropriate of me. I never should have done it. I exploited you, and I regret it. I was dishonest with you about why I wanted that money, and I apologize for that, too. I wasn't lying to you when I said I was broke and that I lost everything I had in Monego City, but I wasn't telling you the full truth, either. You probably already guessed this, but the reason I wanted money so badly was so that I could travel to be with Ash. I used the money you sent me to replace my lost belongings and then travel to Kanto to meet up with him. I'm in Alola with him right now._

 _It was bad enough that I exploited your feelings for money, but that fact that it was specifically you, combined with what I did with it, makes what I did pretty much unforgivable. If you never forgive me, I understand. I'm not sure I'll ever forgive myself. The weight of what I've done, and all the lies I've told, has been crushing me for weeks. Even when I try to make up for all the mistakes I've made, I keep making more mistakes. I sent most of the money back to you tonight, but not all of it. I'm disgusted with myself for it, but I kept some of it. I felt like I had to. After everything I've done, I'm not sure anyone is going to be willing to help me anymore. I had to do something to protect myself. So, for that, I am also sorry. I wish I could do better. I did the best I could._

 _I also want to apologize to you for not thanking you appropriately for your help. You did not have to do what you did for me, but you did it anyway. I don't mean the money. I mean everything, including all the things you did for me in Monego City. You've done nothing but try to help me, and I've been so ungrateful in return. You've changed my life, with both your words and your money, and I never properly thanked you for anything. I've done nothing but take from you. I've been selfish. I have been self-absorbed and obsessed with my own problems, and I never once took the opportunity to tell you how much your help meant to me. I regret that, too, and I apologize for it. You deserve better than how I have treated you._

 _So, I want to tell you now – from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I'm not sure I will ever be able to thank you enough. Maybe one day I will find a better way to thank you than with this message. I hope I do, anyway. I hope this message doesn't sound as stupid as I feel right now writing it. I don't have the same way with words that you do._

 _I kept your last letter to me, you know. Not the sealed one with your worries in it – I tossed that one into the bonfire and never opened it, like you asked. I mean the letter you taped to our bench. It was beautiful. It was one of the only things I had after everything that happened in Monego City. The first time I read it, it made me cry._

 _I read it again recently, but that time, I barely believed a word I read. I don't feel like any of the things you said about me in that letter are true anymore. I've made so many mistakes. I've told so many lies, all because I'm afraid of what people would think if they knew what was really going on inside my head. I feel worthless. I'm paralyzed by my fears. I know you probably don't want to hear anything else about Ash, but I always thought that things would be so much easier once I was together with him. They aren't. They're so much worse. I feel like my head is going to explode from how much is going on inside it._

 _I wish I had been able to see you again before I left Monego City. I wish I could see you right now, honestly. I don't hate you for what you did. In fact, I'm beginning to understand why you did it. The closer I've become with Ash, the harder it has become for me to be honest with him, or with anybody. I feel like my ability to connect with other people has fallen apart. Every relationship I have is tainted. I feel desperate both to tell the truth and to hide it. I can imagine that you felt that way, too._

 _You always told me that you didn't have all the answers. I didn't believe you at the time. I believe you now, but that still hasn't changed the fact that I wish I would walk out the front door right now and find you sitting out there. I don't care if it was all made up, or why you did it. You always knew how to say something to me that gave me some sense of direction. You gave me hope._

 _Right now, I really need hope. I don't have much left. I'm so lost. I don't want to feel like this. I don't want to keep saying and doing things that are the opposite of what I mean and want, but I feel like I can't stop. I feel like trying to stand up for myself has turned into me never being able to stand up for myself. I don't know what to do. As dumb and pathetic as this probably sounds, I wish you could tell me. Even if you have no idea, even if you're making it all up as you go along, it would still be better than what I have. I have no idea at all._

 _I never got the chance to tell you, and it never really came up until right now, but do you have any idea how much all your advice meant to me? You were the one bright spot in my life at the time. If you were here with me right now, that would be true again. I know it probably isn't a good idea to say this after what happened between us, but right now I need to be honest instead of keeping silent, for once._

 _I miss you._

 _When I threw myself off your yacht, I thought you were a coward. Now, I wish I had your courage. You risked everything for me. You had everything to lose, but you still opened your heart to me. Now, I'm in the same position you were, and I'm falling apart under the pressure. I don't know how you did it. I wish you were here to tell me how._

 _More than anything, I wish I could hear from you again. I hope you have been okay since everything happened. It's weird to say, but I'm both sorry that things happened the way they did and really glad they did, too. You taught me so much. You've given me so much. I don't want to think of where I would be right now without you. I would love to see you again. Someday soon, I hope._

 _Anyway, this is all kind of a mess. I'm not sure why I wrote it. It's so late here in Alola, and I've had such a bad evening when it was supposed to be so good, and I'm not sure how much longer I can last before I break from the pressure I've put on myself. I hope this message finds you doing well, and I hope that when I hear from you again, whenever that may be, that we can talk more._

 _-Serena_

She clicked _S_ _end._

A moment later, a box popped up confirming that the message had been sent. Serena closed it, and her words disappeared, vanishing into the void.

She folded her arms on top of the desk and slouched over it, resting her head. She closed her eyes.

She remained there all night.


	10. The Dam Breaks Open

Chapter Ten – The Dam Breaks Open

Serena awoke to a hand on her shoulder.

"Woo! Long night, huh?"

Serena shot upright in the desk chair, startled from sleep. Professor Kukui laughed.

"Didn't mean to scare ya!" he said. "Sleep well?"

It took Serena a few seconds to assemble all the pieces in her head. It dawned on her where she was and what was happening.

"No," she said, shaking her head.

"Sorry to hear that," said Kukui. "No surprise, though. That desk wasn't even comfortable to work at! That's why I got a bigger, better one, yeah."

He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb toward his workstation. Serena followed with her eyes but paid no attention.

Professor Kukui was a buffoon in many regards, but he was, at least, an adult. He was intelligent enough to be a professor, even though that title seemed dubious sometimes.

Could he help?

"Professor?"

"Yeah?"

Serena immediately regretted saying anything. Professor Kukui was a man who, to the best of her knowledge, did not own a shirt. He was Ash, plus a few brain cells and fifteen years, give or take.

She stared into space for a moment too long.

"Something bothering you, cousin?" said Kukui.

"Oh. Um, nothing, really."

"Haha, rough morning, huh? Well, head on upstairs and get yourself some grub! Freshly made by yours truly. And let Lillie know you're okay, too. She was worried when she woke up and you were missing!"

Serena thanked Professor Kukui, and the professor left and went back up the stairs. Serena neglected to tell him that she would rather go hungry than have another of his Alolan Plates. She regretted not taking the time to have a real meal the night before when she had the chance.

There was one more thing Serena needed to do before she left. She woke up the computer and logged back in. The browser page was still on her email inbox from the night before.

There was nothing there. No response, nothing. Not even spam.

Tight-lipped, Serena logged out and trudged her way up the stairs. As she reached the top step and turned toward the kitchen, the front door opened.

It was Lillie, with Nebby in her arms. She stopped in her tracks when she laid eyes on Serena.

"There you are!" she said. "I was concerned when I saw you never came up to the loft last night."

Lillie shut the door behind her, then set Nebby down on the floor. Nebby, cheery as always, puffed past Lillie and toward Serena, then began making circles around her.

"I thought you might be outside when I saw Braixen and Cutiefly out there," said Lillie. "I take it the professor found you downstairs?"

Serena nodded. She looked toward the window, then took a step toward it. Her heart sank.

Braixen was still there. The coconut was still there. Nothing had changed.

Serena inhaled as if to sigh, but instead she let out a yelp as Cutiefly abruptly appeared in front of the window, buzzing right in front of her face.

Lillie approached from behind.

"Is Braixen alright?" said Lillie. "She's been like that for days if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes, she has," said Serena. "I don't know if she's alright. I need to talk to her. I forgot to check on her last night when Ash and I got back."

Cutiefly chirped at Serena. The sound was muffled by the pane of glass separating them.

"Cutiefly has been glued to you ever since you showed up here, but she was outside with Braixen this morning," said Lillie. "I was very surprised."

"Hm."

Serena pursed her lips, only humming a reply. She folded her arms. Cutiefly buzzed away.

"I know it's not my business," said Lillie, "but, um… what were you doing downstairs all night? I hope my writing did not deter you from coming up to the loft. I wrote for a rather long time last night."

Serena looked over her shoulder at Lillie. Lillie looked apologetic.

Serena bit the inside of her cheek. She was done with this charade, but the charade was not done with her.

"I had to do some writing of my own," said Serena. "I typed up a letter to an old friend, but I fell asleep while I was writing it."

"Oh, good," said Lillie. "That's quite a relief, actually. I was concerned I had kept you up all night."

"No worries," said Serena. She pointed out the window. "I'm going to go check on Braixen, though."

"Of course!" said Lillie.

Lillie scooped up Nebby and went into the kitchen. Serena opened the front door and stepped outside.

She removed her shoes and stepped out onto the sand. It was cool to the touch. It was not yet mid-morning. When she saw Ash was not outside, she was certain he was still asleep.

Serena stopped a considerable distance behind Braixen. She wasn't sure how to approach or what to say. Was Braixen deep in meditation? Would she be able to hear her if she spoke? Would speaking break her concentration?

Cutiefly landed on Serena's shoulder. She chittered, staring intently at Braixen. She lingered for a moment, then took off again, zooming up to the roof of the lab and perching on the gutter.

Serena took a few steps forward. She wet her lips and opened her mouth, trying to come up with something sensible to say. She hesitated for a while before she made a sound.

"Braixen?"

No response. Braixen did not move, not even a twitch of the ears. Serena was not sure if her call had been heard.

She stepped closer, only a few paces behind Braixen.

"Braixen?"

Still nothing. Serena stepped even closer. She walked up next to Braixen and dropped to her knees, then settled down into a seated position in the sand beside her, facing her. She was careful not to touch her. She spoke quietly.

"Braixen, can you hear me?"

Braixen opened one eye, just a sliver. She looked at Serena, then looked away and closed her eye again.

"Hey."

It sounded so dumb. There was no good way to say any of this. Who was she to tell Braixen to take a break when she was trying so hard? If she were a better trainer, she would have been out there trying to help the whole time. It was her fault that Braixen was failing.

"You've been at this for a long time, huh?"

Braixen did not respond. The ocean breeze shifted their way for a moment, and it tossed about both Serena's hair and Braixen's fur.

"I-"

Serena paused. If she couldn't be honest to Braixen, who could she be honest to? Anyone? Enough was enough.

"I'm sorry I haven't been helping you. I wish I knew how."

There was a tiny change in Braixen's facial expression. Serena could not tell what it meant.

"But I don't. I felt like I was useless when we tried working on this together. I felt like I was holding you back. I didn't put in the same effort that you did, and that's my fault. I failed you, as both a trainer and a friend. I'm sorry."

Braixen remained still.

"I would be happy to try to work on this with you, but I think it's probably a good idea if you take a break for now. You've been trying so hard, and for so long. You've earned a rest."

Still nothing from Braixen. Serena continued.

"I've been having a lot of problems of my own lately. I've made a lot of mistakes. But I can learn from them. I can be a better person. I can be a better trainer and a better friend. I don't _really_ know what's been going on in your head this whole time, but… I know how you feel, I think."

Braixen opened one eye and looked at Serena again. Serena wondered if that was good or bad. She continued anyway.

"I'm not going to call you a failure. I would never do that. You're far from it. You've done some incredible things. But, I know what it feels like to fail. I know how much it hurts. I know _exactly_ what it feels like to be unable to do something even when you try as hard as you can."

Braixen shut her eye again. Her brow creased.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do. I know that this is what you want to be doing, but… I really think it would be for the best to take a break for now. Why don't you come inside with me? You can eat something. You can rest. I can barely imagine the stress you've put yourself under. I'm worried. So are the others."

As if on cue, Cutiefly chirped in agreement.

Braixen's face grew tighter and tighter. Her lips curled back, revealing her teeth. She seemed to shake, first her head, then her whole body.

"Braixen?"

Concerned, Serena extended a hand toward Braixen. But then, just before she would have made contact with Braixen's shoulder, she heard a growl.

Both of Braixen's eyes shot wide open. They were bloodshot. Trembling, with fangs bared, Braixen pulled her wand from her tail. Her growl erupted into a scream.

Braixen shot a Fire Blast from her wand, directly at the coconut. Serena scrambled backward, her skin searing from the heat. She shielded her eyes. For a few seconds, both Braixen and the blast roared.

Then, the heat and the light faded.

Braixen sat there, hunched over, taking ragged breaths as she continued to shake. A black scar of charred, glassy sand marked where the coconut once sat. Only a few smoldering cinders remained of it, smoking in the wind.

Serena stayed still, halfway toppled over and wide-eyed, watching Braixen. Braixen's breaths slowed, but they became shakier. She sounded like she was choking.

Then, Braixen slumped backward onto the sand. Serena saw tears in Braixen's eyes.

Stunned, Serena watched Cutiefly zip down from the roof and land on the sand, next to Braixen. She expected Braixen to cover her face. Instead, Braixen did nothing, either too tired to move or too frustrated to care anymore, possibly both. She just stared up at the crystal clear sky, and the tears flowed.

"Braixen…"

Serena rose to her knees, and she crawled the short distance separating her from Braixen. She knelt next to her. After meeting eyes for a moment, she placed a hand behind Braixen's ears and rubbed her fur.

Braixen closed her eyes. Serena felt the sand and salt buildup of several days on Braixen's fur. She gently wrapped a hand around Braixen's paw.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of," said Serena.

Braixen whimpered.

"Let's get you inside and cleaned up, okay?"

* * *

Braixen hated baths under normal circumstances. This time, she assented to it without any complaint, sitting in the tub half-asleep as Serena scrubbed and combed her fur. A while later, after Serena got her dried off and forced her to eat and drink something, Braixen drifted off to sleep on Serena's cot, up in the loft.

And so, Serena was left on her own to explain to the others what happened. For Braixen's sake, though, she omitted the tears from her telling of the story. That was one secret she decided there was no harm in keeping.

Both Ash and Greninja expressed interest in paying a visit to Braixen to make sure she was okay, but Serena forbade them, and everyone else, from disturbing her. Instead, everyone went outside, and Professor Kukui's research continued.

Morning became afternoon. Serena and Lillie both hid beneath the shade of the front porch. It was Ash who Professor Kukui was interested in, anyway. He had a crazy collection of machines out on the beach with him, each showing a variety of indecipherable readouts and graphs. Ash and Greninja both had several sensors hooked up to them. Their transformation, as well as Greninja's moves, were yielding outstanding results, based on the number of times Professor Kukui said _Woo!_

Lillie shared the news that Professor Burnet would be coming for the weekend again and that she would be arriving that evening. Aside from that, she kept to herself, content to keep her nose buried in a book.

Serena had plenty of time to think. The more she thought, the more she began to think that perhaps it wasn't too late. As long as she thought about what she was going to say and how she was going to say it, maybe it was still possible to tell both Ash and Lillie the truth. It would be hard, and she would have to be very careful to keep a level head, but it seemed possible. There was a chance. There was hope.

It wasn't going to be pleasant, but no matter what, something had to change.

And then, something did.

In the distance, Serena heard a voice that she very much did not want to hear. She knew from Lillie's reaction that she was not imagining it. Lillie sank deeper into her chair and covered even more of her face with her book.

It was Hau.

"A- _lo-_ la!" said Hau, running from the road toward the beach, announcing himself.

So much for time to think.

Hau stopped in front of the lab and looked around. He waved.

"Hey Lillie! Hey Serena!"

"Hello, Hau," said Lillie.

"Hi," said Serena.

Hau went running toward Ash and Professor Kukui. Serena remained seated. Hau would certainly be audible even from her current distance, and she had no interest in getting involved, anyway.

"Alola!" said Ash, tearing off all the sensors that were taped to him.

"Guess who cleared his first trial _and_ is here with a delivery from the kahuna himself!" said Hau.

"You cleared your first trial, yeah?" said Professor Kukui.

"You bet I did!" said Hau. He extended his wrist to Professor Kukui. There was some kind of bright, shiny object on the band which he wore.

"Woo! That's one sharp-lookin' Normalium Z you've got there. Looks like you showed Ilima some stylin' moves, yeah?"

"Oh yeah!" said Hau. "And then he showed me the most stylin' move ever!"

Hau made a series of poses that looked something like a dance, ending with his arms forming the shape of a Z.

Professor Kukui laughed.

"Been practicing that one, I see!" he said. "Lookin' good!"

Ash and Greninja walked up to them and joined the conversation.

"What was all that?" said Ash.

"That was the super awesome Z-pose Captain Ilima taught me after I cleared his trial!" said Hau. "And check it out! My very own normal-type Z-crystal!"

Ash looked at the gem on Hau's wristband.

"Whoa, so this thing and that dance lets you use a super strong move?" he said.

"Pretty much, yeah!" said Hau. He grinned, crossing his arms behind his head.

"That's awesome!" said Ash. "I hope I get to try that, too! I've already got a crystal, but I think I still need that band thing you put it in."

Hau laughed.

"Then boy are you in luck!" he said.

"I am?" said Ash.

"Oh yeah!" said Professor Kukui. "I had a feeling that was why you came by. Old Hala couldn't make it himself, huh?"

"Nah, he ran off to handle some Tauros that got loose in Hau'oli City again," said Hau. "So, he sent me instead!"

"Wait, what?" said Ash. "I don't get it."

"Oh, don't worry," said Hau. "You're _gonna_ get it."

Ash scrunched up his face.

"I am?" he said.

"Haha, yeah," said Hau. "You're gonna get your very own Z-ring! Take a look!"

Hau pulled a wooden box from his backpack. He gave it to Ash. Ash held it for a moment, awe in his eyes as he looked it all over. Then, he opened it.

Inside the box was a white, segmented bracelet, clearly made of stone. It was wide and had a large, diamond-shaped platform where a gem would typically be mounted.

Even from a distance, Serena could tell what was meant to go there. So could Ash.

"Ah…" he said, turning the bracelet over in his hands. Greninja peered over his shoulder, also examining it.

Without a word, Ash turned and ran to his backpack, which leaned against the base of a palm tree. He rummaged around inside of it for a moment, then pulled out a glinting, blue object. He ran back over to the others.

"I see what to do!" said Ash. He proudly displayed his Z-crystal for Hau to see.

"Whoa-ho! That's the water-type Z-crystal, isn't it?" said Hau.

"Sure is!" said Professor Kukui. "Normally, you get those by passing the water-type trial on Akala Island, but I talked to the trial captain and explained that this crystal was not for any ordinary trainer."

There was a clicking noise. Ash pressed the Waterium Z into the slot on the Z-ring, and it snapped into place. Then, he slipped the Z-ring over his wrist.

"Alright!" he said. "I'm _so_ ready! How do we do this?"

Next to Ash, Greninja snapped to attention and settled into a battle-ready stance. Professor Kukui threw his head back and laughed.

"Woo!" he said. "That's what I like to see! Always ready for the next challenge, yeah?"

"Oh yeah," said Ash.

"Right on, cousin," said Professor Kukui. "Now, I know you and Greninja are totally stoked to use your Z-power together, but you've gotta learn how to move together first! There's a special dance you have to do to use that crystal."

Ash looked a bit deflated.

"Oh, right," he said, scratching his head. "Like what Hau did? How did that go?"

Ash put his feet shoulder-width apart and held his arms straight out ahead, with both hands balled into fists. He looked at Hau as if expecting some kind of instruction, but then began moving on his own anyway.

He flailed like an idiot, completely butchering the dance Hau had demonstrated. Once again, Professor Kukui laughed. So did Hau.

"Whoa, slow down there, bud!" said Professor Kukui. "Let's take this one step at a time."

"Did I do it wrong?" said Ash.

"Not even close!" said Hau. "That wasn't even the right dance for the crystal you have!"

Ash's shoulders slumped.

"Huh?"

"Each type of Z-crystal has its own dance," said Hau. "The one I showed you was for the normal-type crystal."

Ash looked indignant.

"Wait, so there's…"

He counted on his fingers. He had some trouble when he ran out of fingers and had to start over again.

 _"Eighteen_ different dances?" he said.

"More than that, actually," said Professor Kukui. "But there's one for each type, so eighteen of those, yeah."

"Aw man," said Ash, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm no good at dancing."

"No sweat," said Professor Kukui. "It's easy enough that anyone can do it! Each one starts the exact same way. You were on the right track. Watch and learn!"

Professor Kukui backed up a few steps. Then, he placed his feet shoulder-width apart and extended his arms in front of him, fists clenched.

"You can't just go through the motions," he said. "You and your Pokémon have both got to be totally in sync! You both have to pour all of your feelings into it. Otherwise, it won't work at all."

Ash pumped his fist.

"Me and Greninja should have no problem with that!" he said.

"Woo!" said Professor Kukui. "Awesome! So, the water-type Z-move is called Hydro Vortex. Greninja, all you have to do is concentrate and try to use any of your water-type moves. Ash, what you've gotta do is move like this!"

Professor Kukui crossed his arms in front of himself and then moved them both in a great circle. He opened his fists, and his palms turned flat. Then, he moved his hands and arms like waves, first twice to one side, then once to the opposite side.

He held that position for a moment. Ash stood there, dumbfounded.

"Uh…" said Ash, scratching his cheek.

"That's how you do it, yeah," said Professor Kukui. "Give it a try."

Serena saw Lillie lower her book, exposing a bit more of her eyes. It was difficult to tell, but it looked like she had a hint of an amused look on her face. It was no secret as to why. Ash was making a fool of himself. Serena bit down on the inside of her lip, trying not to laugh.

Despite being able to withstand a tsunami wave like it was nothing but a gentle breeze, it was like Ash had no awareness of his own body whatsoever. His attempt to mimic Professor Kukui's movements made him look like one of those inflatable waving-arm tube men in front of a car dealership.

Serena knew this was going to take a while.

* * *

The afternoon dragged on. Hours passed, with Ash repeating Professor Kukui's poses, over and over again. All the while, Hau watched, cheering Ash on and playing with the other Pokémon on the beach.

Occasionally, Hau glanced at the porch, where Serena and Lillie sat. His eyes always lingered for a moment longer than necessary. Every time, Lillie hid behind her book.

After it happened again for what seemed like the dozenth time, Serena looked over at Lillie.

Lillie took notice. She met eyes with Serena, then quickly looked away.

"I wish he would stop doing that," said Lillie.

"You know he likes you, don't you?" said Serena. "It's obvious."

"I-"

Lillie stuttered, looking flustered. She shook her head.

"I was reasonably certain that was the case," she said.

"It's pretty obvious you don't like him, too," said Serena. "To everyone except him, at least."

"Yes," said Lillie. "I wish he would stop trying to… to _woo_ me or whatever it is he's doing."

As soon as the word _woo_ left Lillie's lips, the conversation was interrupted by another loud _Woo!_ from Professor Kukui. Ash was getting better at the pose. Serena watched Ash make another attempt, then looked at Lillie again.

"I don't know Hau that well, but I don't think he's going to get the hint unless you say something to him," said Serena. "He… doesn't seem bright."

Lillie shook her head.

"He means well," she said. "I just don't have anything in common with him at all."

Hau, meanwhile, jumped around on the beach, cheering.

"You two really are nothing alike," said Serena.

For that matter, Lillie and Ash were also nothing alike. But then again, sometimes opposites attract. Serena knew it as well as anyone.

"I've tried to be kind to him," said Lillie. "I really have. I don't want to be mean. I've tried talking to him, but it's like trying to talk to a TV, or a radio. Even when you get a chance to say something, you can say whatever you want, but then he just keeps on talking about whatever he was talking about before. It's so frustrating."

"Ash can be kind of like that, too, sometimes," said Serena. "When he gets excited about battling, it's impossible for him to think about anything else. He really does try to listen, though."

"At least he tries," said Lillie. "I can't stand it when someone feigns interest in you but then won't listen to a word you say."

The notion of feigning interest made Serena's heart skip a beat. But mentally, she did not miss a beat.

"That's a very specific thing to hate, isn't it?" she said.

"Perhaps," said Lillie. "If you knew my mother, you would understand."

Lillie frowned. She shook her head.

"I- I shouldn't be so harsh," she said. "Hau really is sweet. He's always upbeat. He cares about his Pokémon. He means well."

"That doesn't mean you have to like him," Serena said with a shrug.

"I don't," said Lillie. "At least, I don't think I do."

Serena raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"I… I don't really know what it's like," said Lillie.

Serena squinted. Lillie looked away. Serena could already see Lillie's face beginning to turn red.

"What do you mean?" said Serena.

Lillie bit down on her lip. Her face tightened. For a few seconds, she did not respond. When she spoke again, she was barely audible.

"Love," Lillie whispered.

Serena's heart stood still.

It was like she had always known. All of her fears and all of her misgivings about Lillie, as always, were completely unfounded. It was more and more obvious by the day. Lillie was in no position to concern herself with romance. She had too many problems of her own to sort out before she could even bother with entangling herself with another person.

It was nonsense. It was all nonsense, just like it had always been.

"I'm… jealous, honestly," said Lillie. "You're so lucky to have someone who cares about you so much."

Serena's heart stood still again.

 _Jealous?_

Of her and Ash?

"I wish I had someone who cares about me like that," said Lillie. "I just… don't know how I ever _could_ have someone like that. I would be asking so much of them."

Serena's mouth was open, but she made no noise. She only looked at Lillie. Lillie continued.

"I don't know many people, and I haven't had many friends, but it seems that people like you and Ash who really care about others are so rare. I would need someone truly incredible to be able to be close to me. Someone who understands."

Lillie looked away. Serena followed Lillie's eyes. First, they landed on Ash, then on Hau.

"Hau… doesn't understand," said Lillie. "How could he? He isn't serious about anything. He has such a tight-knit family, so much history on this island, so many good things in his life. This whole island is his home. I don't even have a home anymore, really. I don't have any of those things. I'm- ...Well, really, _Nebby_ , is a fugitive."

"A fugitive?" said Serena.

"Yes," said Lillie. "It's more than that I want to keep Nebby a secret. I _have_ to. I have to keep it hidden. If Nebby fell into the wrong hands… I don't even want to think about what would happen."

Lillie pulled aside one of her braids. She stared at Ash again.

"That's why I need Ash's help," she said. "I need someone who cares."

Ash struck the pose once again. He was doing much better now, almost a perfect match of Professor Kukui.

"It sounds silly," said Lillie, "but… I need a hero."

Serena's vision zoomed out, like she was watching everything from a distance. She saw the others like they were players on a stage. The final missing piece of the puzzle slipped into place.

Lillie was the damsel in distress. That was why she needed a hero.

It was so obvious. Serena knew this story. She had read it before, many times. That's all this was. They were all acting their parts. Hero, damsel, mentor, comic relief.

But Serena wasn't on the stage. She was in her seat, in the audience. She wasn't in the story. Lillie was breaking the fourth wall, speaking directly to her.

"Have you, um, had a chance to talk to Ash?" said Lillie.

Serena blinked, and she snapped back to reality. She couldn't understand why she felt so short of breath. Had it been that long since she last breathed?

When Lillie received no response for a few seconds, she continued.

"You know, about helping me?"

"Oh," said Serena.

There was a brief silence.

"Did you?" said Lillie.

"Oh, um, yes," said Serena.

Serena's mind was awash with a mix of memories and terror and hormones. She remembered speaking to Ash about Lillie's plight. That much, she knew. She did not remember the words said. She was all but certain that they were not the words she wanted to say. She remembered losing herself in exploring Ash's body instead of exploring her emotions. Even then, she barely remembered that.

All she truly remembered was her mind shutting off, and her body moving on its own.

And it was happening again.

"Did… did he agree to help?" said Lillie.

Lillie sat on the edge of her seat, leaning toward Serena. Serena was not looking at her. Her eyes were glued on Ash. Greninja stood in front of him. Everyone else had cleared out of the area.

It was time.

Serena nodded.

Ash stood still, his feet apart, his focus intense. Then, he moved his arms, first in a circle, and then like the waves.

 _"Greninja, Hydro Vortex!"_

Greninja glowed. Power seemed to transfer from Ash to Greninja. An aura flared to life around Greninja, unlike any Serena had ever seen before. And then, once again, Greninja did the impossible.

At least in scale, it was so much like the Mega Tsunami move that it was uncanny. Despite firing what looked like it only should have been a Water Pulse, Greninja's attack formed instead as a massive whirlpool, spinning like a tornado on the beach.

Sand kicked up all around. Both Serena and Lillie held onto their hats to keep them from blowing away. The vortex expanded. For just a moment, Serena wondered once again if all going to be killed, and the lab swept away.

And then, it stopped.

A shower of mist rained over everything in sight. In the center of where the vortex once spun, Greninja stood, serene, radiating power.

 _"Woo!"_

It was Professor Kukui's loudest _Woo!_ yet. Both Hau and Ash cheered.

Serena stood. She gripped the porch railing with both hands. Her knuckles went white.

Ash did it. Of course he did. He was never going to fail. He was destined to succeed. He was the hero.

He had obtained the power he needed. Now, all that was left was for him to save the girl.

"Oh man, Greninja, that was amazing!" said Ash.

"Just about the most impressive Hydro Vortex I've ever seen, yeah!" said Professor Kukui.

"That was awesome, you guys!" said Hau. "Ash! You're a natural!"

Had Serena not been frozen like a statue, she would have rolled her eyes.

Ash bashfully rubbed a finger beneath his nose.

"Yeah, maybe so!" he said.

"You've _gotta_ take on the island challenge!" said Hau. "Even the kahunas are probably no match for you! I bet you'd even beat my gramps, easy!"

"Whoa now, cousin!" said Professor Kukui. "Don't let old Hala hear you say that! He'd whoop you even harder if he knew you doubted him so much!"

"Haha, yeah, but Ash is totally amazing!" said Hau. He turned from Professor Kukui to Ash. "It's no wonder Tapu Koko favored you! You're, like, the chosen one or something!"

Ah, there it was. The oldest and most tired of all tropes. The chosen one. It was exactly what Ash was. Always.

Ash laughed, awkwardly.

"Oh yeah?" he said. "Chosen for what?"

"Beats me!" said Hau. "But seriously, you're like a movie hero or something! It's unreal! I'm the kahuna's grandson and I've been watching him use Z-power my whole life, and it took me and Popplio days just to use our Z-power once! And it wasn't nearly as strong as what you and Greninja just did!"

Ash tried to wave off the compliment. Hau continued.

"That was just with one Z-crystal. Think of the things you could do if you had all the others! You would be unstoppable!"

"You get the other crystals by clearing those island challenge trials, right?" said Ash.

"Yeah!" said Hau. "I got my Normalium Z by clearing Ilima's trial in Verdant Cavern! I'm telling you, you've gotta do it! You've gotta take the challenge!"

Ash was quiet for a moment. Serena recognized the look on his face. It was the face he always made when someone had just planted the seed of an idea in his head. His eyes shifted away from Hau. His gaze landed on the porch.

"I've got an idea," he said.

Ash jogged up to the porch, up the front steps, up to Lillie. He took a glance back at Serena, smiled at her, and then focused on Lillie again.

"Lillie," he said.

Lillie looked astonished to be addressed by him so directly. Still seated, she looked like she once again wanted to hide behind her book.

But after a moment of hesitation, she closed the book and placed it on her lap.

Serena's blood ran cold.

"Yes?" said Lillie.

"So, Serena talked to me last night," he said. "She told me about how you're trying to get Nebby home, and how you want to take Nebby to the ruins on all of the islands, and that you need help to do it."

Lillie's lips parted. Her eyes were wide. She nodded.

"Yes, that's all correct," she said.

"Well, what Hau just said about the island challenge gave me an idea," said Ash. "I know what I wanna do. I wanna travel all over Alola and do the island challenge, and I want you to come with me. While I do my trials, we can visit the ruins and try to find a way to get Nebby home. What do you say?"

Slack-jawed, Lillie looked from Ash to Serena and then back to Ash again.

"I-"

"You still want to visit the ruins, right?" said Ash.

"Yes, but…"

Lillie looked Serena in the eye again.

Serena had no idea when she last breathed. She was not certain she ever would again.

"Is Serena comfortable with this?" said Lillie. She looked up at Ash again.

Ash nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "She told me last night that she knew that helping you was the right thing to do, because that's what friends do. She said that wherever I go, she's gonna go, too. We'll all go together. It's gonna be great!"

Lillie stared up at Ash from her seat, lost in disbelief.

"Are you serious about this?" she said.

"Yeah, definitely!" said Ash. "It's gonna be a great time! Another adventure, right?"

Ash looked at Serena. She knew he expected a response. Ignoring the screaming inside her head, Serena contorted her face into a smile and nodded.

"Ash, I-"

Lillie looked lost for words. She moved the book from her lap, placing it on the table next to her chair. Then, she sprang up from the chair, standing in front of him, hands folded in front of herself.

"I… I have no idea how to thank you!" she said. "I can't possibly thank you enough! I-"

Lillie looked down at her folded hands. She looked up at Ash, then back to her hands. Then at Serena, then back at Ash.

And then she threw her arms around him.

"Thank you!" she said. "Thank you _so_ much!"

The embrace did not last long enough for Ash to return it. It ended as quickly as it began. When Lillie pulled away, she was visibly embarrassed. She bit her lip.

"Hey, no problem!" said Ash. "It'll be a great time! A brand-new adventure. What do you say, Pikachu?"

On cue, Pikachu came running up the stairs and scurried up onto Ash's shoulder. He voiced his approval.

Lillie looked from Ash and Pikachu's smiling faces to Serena's. Lillie covered her mouth with a hand. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

The muscles in Serena's cheeks seared with pain. She wanted to scream, in frustration more than anything else. She wanted to run. She _had_ to run. She had to remove herself from all this, immediately.

And so, she did.

"I'll go tell Braixen!" she said.

Serena stepped through the front door. She locked it behind her.

* * *

Serena's first urge when she entered the lab was to scream. Somehow, she resisted it. Somewhere, deep inside, some sliver of her mind that did not want her to be overheard was still in control enough to stop her.

She could not be heard. Not by anyone outside, and not by Braixen inside. Moving without thinking, she walked away from the front door, into the empty living room.

She could only hide for so long. Eventually, someone would notice that she locked the door. Someone was going to have the key, too. It wasn't safe here. It wasn't safe anywhere. She hadn't gotten away from anything.

She looked at the ladder leading up to the loft. Before she could form a coherent thought in her mind, she stomped over to it and began climbing as fast as she could. She had to get out. She had to get out _now._

It didn't matter where she went. It could be anywhere, as long as it wasn't here. She would be fine. She knew it. She had enough money. She could go anywhere, and anywhere was better than here.

She stumbled as she scrambled off the top rung of the ladder. She tripped, staggering into the loft. She struggled to regain her balance. She took several lurching steps forward, stopping herself just before she collided with Lillie's dresser.

Braixen continued to lay sound asleep on the cot. Serena braced herself against the dresser and tried to catch her breath, silently. Braixen did not deserve to be dragged into any of this. She deserved to rest. She had struggled more than enough on her own.

Serena figured that maybe, for that matter, she had struggled more than enough on her own, too.

Except that wasn't true at all. She had been surrounded the entire time by people with nothing but good intentions and desire to help. She had done nothing but push them away and lie to them at every opportunity. Braixen had done nothing but try to improve herself.

Serena reached for Braixen's Poké Ball, trying to stick her hand in a pocket that was no longer there out of force of habit. She found nothing. Her Poké Balls were all in her bag, and her bag was on the floor beneath the cot.

She knelt down. Slowly, she reached beneath the cot and tugged on the strap on her bag. She pulled as gently as she could, trying to make as little noise as possible. She hoped against hope that the rumbling, crinkling noises of everything shifting inside her bag would not be enough to wake Braixen.

She was wrong.

Before she could extract the bag, Braixen's ear twitched. Then, she cracked open one eyelid.

Serena froze. Braixen squinted, then opened both eyes.

Serena knew she was busted. She was right next to Braixen, practically leaning over her. There was no way Braixen would be fooled. She would see right through all the lies plastered over her face.

Braixen murmured, some mixture of confusion and concern. Serena knew she at least needed to play her part. It was all a ruse, after all.

"Go back to sleep, Braixen. It's okay. I'm just up here grabbing my bag."

Braixen's eyes narrowed as she looked deeper into Serena's eyes.

"It's okay. Just rest. You need it."

Braixen sat upright.

"Braixen, please. Go back to sleep. I just need my tablet, that's all."

But Braixen's eyes shifted. Serena's tablet wasn't in the bag. It was at the foot of the bed, laying atop the sheets, last used a few hours ago to play a soothing soundtrack during Braixen's bath.

"Um... the charger! I need the charger," said Serena.

It was pointless. Braixen gave Serena a flat gaze, the one she gave so often, the one that made it crystal clear that she saw directly through Serena's nonsense.

Serena surrendered immediately. She let the false hint of a smile fade from her face. She spoke in a blunt tone.

"We're leaving."

Braixen's eyes widened.

No longer concerned about waking Braixen, Serena shoved her fist deep into the bag, searching for Braixen's Poké Ball. She could not take it anymore. She could not stand another second of it, of those eyes which saw right through her.

Braixen knew her for what she was, and that was the most frightening prospect of all.

Serena found the ball. She pulled it out from the bottom of the bag. Half the bag's remaining contents came spilling out with it.

Braixen looked at the ball, then at Serena. A vein twitched in Serena's forehead.

"Yes, really," said Serena.

Braixen's imperious gaze lingered on her. Her eyes said more with total silence than she ever could have said with words.

"I'm sorry," said Serena.

Braixen looked away. She looked toward the window, downstairs.

"I'm sorry, okay?"

Serena was louder than she expected. Braixen looked back at her, mouth open in surprise.

"I'm a failure," said Serena. "I know you know it. I'm sorry."

Braixen's brow tightened. Her eyes lingered on Serena for a moment, then looked away.

"I'm sorry."

Braixen did not respond. She did not even move.

"I'm sorry!"

Nothing.

Serena clicked the button on the Poké Ball, and Braixen vanished in a flash of light, disappearing into it.

And then, Serena was alone.

The imprint on the lumpy mattress where Braixen once sat slowly sprung back to its original shape. The lab was silent.

At least, it was silent in the everyday sense of the word. It was not truly silent, as she now understood. The memory of Nebby teleporting them all into space crossed her mind once more. The horrid creature's cry echoed in her ears once more, and a shiver crept down her spine.

Even though the puzzle already looked like it was complete, Serena kept finding more pieces to fit into it. Of course Lillie had to keep Nebby hidden. Of course the world would be in danger if Nebby fell into the wrong hands. If Nebby could twist the dimensions and expose them all to that wretched beast, there was no telling what else lurked beyond. Nebby was not some benign little cloud of happiness. Lillie had been cuddling a floating portal to hell in her sleep every night.

Nebby would doom the world in the wrong hands. It was-

It was insane. Serena knew it. It was insane. She had lost her mind. There was no mistaking it. This was what going crazy felt like. She knew now. She was going crazy. This was all insanity, absolute insanity.

Everything made too much sense, yet _nothing_ made sense. It was insanity. This was it. She knew it. Her mind was gone. Everything was doomed. Herself, her relationship with Ash, maybe even the world!

Of _course_ she traveled all the way to the other side of the planet just to be summoned along with Ash as unwitting bodyguards for a runaway girl and her adorable little pet that just so happened to have the power to open portals to other dimensions and summon evil creatures. Of course! It was like the plot of some terrible movie.

Maybe her exposure to the evil drape creature was what was driving her insane. Yes, that was it. Surely. It was such an obvious plot point. It was impossible to fight the eldritch abominations from worlds beyond because the very sight of them caused one's sanity to be ripped to shreds. That was, like, Cosmic Horror 101. Even Serena knew that, if only from the times that Ash told spooky stories around the campfire and she cowered inside her tent, pretending not to be listening.

The more Serena thought of it, the more obvious it became. Yes, of course it was that damn creature's fault. _Lillie was one of them_. Her hair, her dress, they were practically the same shape! Even the same color! It was no wonder she wouldn't wear any other colors. Maybe that new outfit she bought represented some horrid new form the creature would take when it entered this world. It was coming, no doubt. It made so much sense. It was no wonder Lillie was protecting Nebby. Nebby was a conduit for her own kind to enter this world.

And Serena knew it was all insane. She collapsed onto the floor, grasping at her forehead, as if she wanted to wrench the insanity out of her brain, to wring it out like water from a sponge. This was it. It was all over. The end of the line. She felt her head caving in, collapsing under the weight of it all. The pressure built, and built, and built.

Serena reached up to the sofa bed, grasping with her hand. She knew exactly where it was. The pillow, perfectly fluffed, in the exact same place as always. She pulled it onto the floor with her, threw herself face-first into it, and screamed. The muffled sound made her sick to her stomach. It hurt her throat. And yet, she had to hear it again. And so she screamed once more.

Still clutching the pillow to her face, she breathed rapidly, heavily, desperately. The pillow had a smell. A distinct scent. Vanilla, with a hint of lavender. It must have been Lillie's shampoo. It was so subtle, gentle, understated. Tasteful. Pleasant. Delightful. She hated it. Serena hated it so, _so_ much.

She pulled her face out of the pillow. The fragrance of it burned her nostrils and eyes. She pinned the pillow to the floor as if she were strangling it. She was going to choke it, _end_ it.

Serena gasped. She threw herself backward, butting up against the bookcase. It shook, and the tattered Clefairy doll came tumbling down. It hit her on the head and rolled away. Serena did not even blink. Instead, she held her hands over her face, peering through her fingers, staring at the pillow like she had just witnessed a murder.

There was no denying it. She felt it. She knew exactly what it was. It was a genuine compulsion of violence. It was as real as she was. She ran her hands down her face. She felt it. She was still there.

Now, it was well and truly over. Her head snapped around, looking for cameras. If anyone saw it, she knew what awaited her. Insane? Violent? There was no hope for her. She would be institutionalized. She wondered if Alola still had asylums.

But it wasn't her fault. How could any rational person confront this and not lose their mind? How could anyone blame her for going insane? Was she the only who saw how unjust this all was? For the first time in her life, she was living by her own terms, only to discover that she wasn't the one in charge of things. She wasn't the main character. She wasn't writing her own story. She wasn't even _in_ the story.

Hell, _Ash_ wasn't even the main character. It was Lillie. It was all Lillie. Every last bit of it, all of it, was about her.

 _Imposing?_ Nonsense. Lillie wasn't imposing on anyone. Serena was imposing on _her._ This was literally Lillie's room. And it was currently a disaster, at least compared to normal, with a pillow and a doll and half a bag's worth of belongings strewn on the floor.

Serena looked at the Clefairy doll. The whites of its eyes were long since faded from years of use and dirt, now a shade of gray. But that cloying smile had undoubtedly remained the same forever. Right now, the damn thing had the edge on her, stone-faced, a certain winner in the staring contest of the century.

Serena pulled up her leg and kicked the doll, knocking it underneath the sofa bed. She shook. It felt good. It felt amazing. She _needed_ to let it all out.

She saw the pillow. She crawled toward it.

She grabbed it like she was trying to squeeze the life out of it. And then, she stood up, swung it over her head, and slammed it down into the sofa bed. It landed with a dull _thump._

So unsatisfying. She needed more. She did it again.

And again. And again and again and again.

She kept beating the bed with the pillow. The blanket slumped off the side and fell onto the floor. Serena's face contorted into something wretched, something uninterested in hiding anger or malice. She grunted with every blow, each one coming harder and harder at first, then softer and slower. Her muscles could not keep up. Her body gave up before her mind.

She tossed the pillow aside and sank to the floor again, heaving for breath. She was disappointed. Every movie made it seem like pillows would come apart and spew fluff everywhere with the slightest disturbance. This one had remained completely intact despite her best efforts.

She shook as she tried to catch her breath. Her veins flowed with unfamiliar emotions. She could not place a finger on precisely what. Was it hatred? How could it be? She knew none of this was Lillie's fault. But, somehow, it simply _was._

Without Lillie, none of this ever would have happened. They might not even be here at all. Perhaps she and Ash would still be on that hill outside Pallet Town, making out in perfect harmony until the sun set for eternity.

But no, it was because Lillie needed help that Serena was dragged here and had her whole life ripped apart. In a matter of weeks, she had gone from getting everything she ever wanted to feeling like her brain was full of nails. It was Lillie's fault. It was Lillie's fault, plain and simple. She caused all of it.

What was Lillie even running from, anyway? It was probably nothing. Even her stories about Nebby were probably bogus. That creature in the other dimension? Imaginary. Serena knew it couldn't be real. It was a hallucination. It had to be. She was going insane, after all. It made perfect sense.

Serena stood up again. The loft was a mess. She had no idea how much more time she had until someone noticed the door was locked and tried to come inside. It didn't matter. If she had all day, she would never get everything back in its proper place like Lillie always had it. It was impossible.

She looked all around. There were so many signs of her tantrum. She would never be able to hide it. Everything was out of place.

Except for one thing.

Serena caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye of Lillie's journal, laying perfectly centered on the desk, as always.

Her eyes locked onto it. She glared at it. She wandered over to the desk and loomed over it. In perfect silence and solitude, it taunted her.

It was just like the Clefairy doll, well-worn. The lock on the front was dull and scratched from what looked like years of use. Serena stared at it, completely still, tight-lipped. She waited.

And then, she extended one finger, and she nudged the journal ever so slightly out of position.

Her heart skipped a beat. For a moment, she expected Lillie to unlock the door at that very moment, or come crashing through a window, or even blow a hole through the roof, anything to protect the stupid book.

Nothing happened.

Serena pushed the book again. It moved farther this time. Still, nothing happened.

She slipped her fingers under the book, lifted it, and let it fall. It made a _thud._ Nothing else happened.

And then, the total, complete idiocy of all of this washed over her. All she had to do was walk back outside, find Ash and Lillie, and tell them, most likely with a lot of tears, exactly what was happening to her and why. She would probably lose a friend. She might even lose two, but at least the truth would be out there. At least they could begin to heal and move on.

But that wasn't what Serena did.

Serena shoved her fingers inside the covers of Lillie's journal. Quivering, blind with anger, she pulled.

The lock refused to budge. Her hands slipped, and the journal tumbled back down onto the surface of the desk.

High up above in the rafters, Murkrow cawed. Serena's eyes shot toward it. It had been there this whole time. It had seen everything. Couldn't some Murkrow speak human language? It was hopeless now. There was a witness. She had been caught red-handed.

Murkrow cawed again, almost as if laughing at her. Serena glared at it.

"What?" she said.

Murkrow gave her no response. It continued to gaze at her, motionless, in silence. Serena grit her teeth.

"Do you think this is funny or something?" said Serena.

Murkrow clicked its beak. Serena's eyes narrowed.

"Do you know how to pick this lock?" she said.

Murkrow cawed heartily, laughing at her in earnest. It flew up to an even higher rafter, turning its back on her. Her teeth clenched, Serena shook. She grabbed the journal and pulled on the covers again. They did not budge. The lock was far too strong. There was no way she would ever be able to break it open on her own.

Taking heavy breaths, she examined the journal again. The signs of her attempt to break into it were already obvious. The covers were bent. Some of the pages were wrinkled. She was far beyond the point of no return. There was no turning back now.

And it was all so, _so_ stupid. A furious shout began to build in Serena's throat. She sputtered as it came to the surface. Then, with an unrestrained cry, she blindly threw the journal as hard as she could.

She never heard the crash she expected. Instead, a second later, the journal landed with a soft _thump._

Serena ran over to the edge of the loft. Down below, she saw it.

It had landed on the sofa.

The sofa trembled. A moment later, it erupted. Stufful thrashed, and the cushions and the journal flew off in a veritable explosion.

There was a loud impact. The cushions all fell, the dust settled, and Stufful ran off in a hurry to hide.

Serena stared over the edge. There was a brand-new dent in the wall, where the journal had hit it.

And below the dent, on the floor, the journal lay open.


	11. Hanging On in Quiet Desperation

Chapter Eleven – Hanging On in Quiet Desperation

 _July 18th_

 _Wicke surprised me today with this journal. It's so lovely, and so is she. It has been two months since Gladion left. Wicke has been so wonderful to me, looking after me in Gladion's absence, but even she has her limits. I think she got me this journal so I could have someone, or rather something, other than her to share my feelings with. These last two months have been difficult for me, but they must have been difficult for her, too. She said she would have given me a journal sooner, but she had to wait for the opportunity to find one with a lock because it was the only way to keep it private from my mother._

 _Mother has been unbearable since Gladion left. She has kept me under such intense scrutiny that I feel like I can barely breathe. It helps that the only times she ever wants to see me are mealtimes, because "families are supposed to eat together," but she spends so much time criticizing my appearance and making me correct my posture that I don't get a chance to eat. Whenever I complain, she tells me that not eating will help me be prettier._

 _At least Wicke sneaks me snacks all the time. I don't know what I would do without her._

* * *

 _July 24th_

 _Father turned forty today. Or perhaps he would have, I suppose. I always wish so, but today particularly, I wish we knew what happened to him._

 _Sometimes, I dream of him coming back and taking me away from mother. I know it will never happen, though. If he were going to come back, why hasn't he already? Either he never returned, or he did and he doesn't care. I don't know which is worse. I like to dream, though. It's all I have._

* * *

 _August 15th_

 _Mother has been so involved in her research for the past week that she hasn't even bothered to come to mealtimes. It has been one of the more pleasant weeks in recent memory. Wicke has given me a cookie and a glass of milk before bed each night this week. I know I should be careful what I wish for, but I can't help but wish that mother never comes back._

* * *

 _September 1st_

 _Mother discovered this journal today. It managed to elude her sight for six whole weeks. I'm honestly surprised it took so long for her to notice something was amiss. I'm even more surprised that she did not confiscate it, although I know that could still happen._

 _She was predictably furious. She asked me where I got it, and I told her I ordered it from a catalog. She accused me of stealing money from the foundation and told me she would make sure the receipt for the journal was found so that it could be returned, and she could get the money back. I'm not afraid. There is no way the finance department is going to go to the effort of looking for a single extra notebook in all of their purchases._

 _The lock offended her the most of all, I think, but she didn't admit it. She went on and on about how I would get my bedsheets dirty with ink, and how writing so much would make one of my hands larger than the other. Those reasons were both nonsense, even for her. I know it's because she can't stand the idea that I have secrets, because they could be negative things about her._

 _They are, of course. She's not stupid. Neither am I._

* * *

 _September 4th_

 _Mother tried to give me an early bedtime as a way to ensure I cannot write in my journal. Evidently, either she or one of her scientists has some way to turn off the electricity in my room, so it has been lights out, literally, at 8:30 for the last two nights. Fortunately, Wicke is resourceful as ever. She has a handy pen with a flashlight for a tip, which she gave to me. For now, I write beneath my sheets in the dark._

* * *

 _September 17th_

 _Mother's mission to force an early bedtime upon me seems to have come to an end. The electricity in my room has not gone out for the last three nights. I suppose this attempt at controlling me was too petty even for her standards. She has seemed more aloof than usual during the last week, which I appreciate very much. I have no doubt that Wicke appreciates it, too. I have had to ask her for a new battery for the flashlight pen on three occasions now. I'm glad not to have to rely on it, for now._

* * *

 _September 18th_

 _It seems I spoke too soon. The electricity went out in my room before eight o'clock tonight. I suspect mother realized she had forgotten to keep up her end of the bargain for the last several days and decided to make up for lost time._

* * *

 _October 9th_

 _Mother formally announced at dinner tonight that she is removing my "bedtime," as she trusts that I have learned to be responsible with my journal. Although I thanked her - I had no other option, after all - I cannot help but fear that something far worse awaits me. Things always go that way. Just when it looks like she might actually show a hint of kindness, she does something worse than she has ever done before. I hope I'm wrong, for once._

* * *

 _November 7th_

 _It was Gladion's birthday. Mother did not acknowledge it, but she was even more terse than usual at dinner. I have no reason to believe that she has changed her stance that he is "dead to her."_

 _Tonight, just before I was about to start writing, Wicke came to my room. She had two cupcakes with her, both red velvet, Gladion's favorite. We quietly sang Happy Birthday for him. I cried._

* * *

 _December 31st_

 _The New Year's party was always more fun when Gladion was here. Even though mother always made us dress up, getting to spend an evening running around, eating as much as we wanted, and playing with the foundation employees was always worth the earful we got later for "misbehaving."_

 _This year, all I wanted to do was stay close to Wicke, but Faba summoned her and forbade me from coming with her. I'm certain my mother made him do it. I returned to my room, and so I'm writing now instead of having fun with everyone else. Either way, I would be doing something that mother frowns upon._

 _I wish I had some hope for the new year. I don't. I'm so lonely. Wicke is my only friend. Mother is worse than ever. I wish there were some way to escape from here, but ever since Gladion left, the docks - the only way out - have been under high security at all times. I doubt that restriction will ever be lifted. Even if I could sneak onto a boat, I have no idea where I would go. I don't even know how to pilot one. On the very worst days here, though, I figure that being lost at sea could not possibly be much worse than being trapped here._

 _I hope Gladion is doing well, wherever he is._

* * *

 _March 14th_

 _My birthday. Mother didn't even show up to dinner. Wicke did, though. She gave me an entire strawberry shortcake, all to myself, along with a brand new set of pens. It was a good day, all things considered, but I still wish Gladion were here. He was here last year. He was already plotting his escape then, I think. It was no wonder he was so distant._

 _The cake was lovely. I ate a quarter of it and I am concerned that it may either spoil or make me sick before I finish it. I hope it keeps for a few days, and that mother doesn't find it. The new pens are also lovely. They're calligraphy pens - look how fancy I can make my cursive now!_

* * *

 _May 24th_

 _Mother finally reappeared today, after being absent for three weeks. She said something about a breakthrough. I fear whatever it may be. I especially fear that it may be related to the peculiar Pokémon I saw in the conservatory today. I only caught a glimpse of it, but it looked so helpless, and so lost. I know exactly how that feels._

* * *

 _June 2nd_

 _I met the strange little Pokémon today. Now that the scientists are convinced that it poses no danger to anyone, they have decided to let it roam free in the conservatory. It may be the most adorable Pokémon I have ever seen. It's like a little ball of gas with two puffy clouds for hands. Looking at its body is like looking at the night sky. I have no idea what kind of Pokémon it is. I spent half the day poring through all the volumes of the encyclopedia in the library, but I found nothing that looked like it. It leads me to think that my mother's experiments may have brought it here from some other world. If that is the case, I fear what may be in store for it._

* * *

 _June 30th_

 _I have decided to name my new friend "Nebby." It's like an adorable little nebula, after all. The scientists seem baffled by it. I've only heard bits and pieces of their conversations, but they seem to think that Nebby has some kind of amazing power, yet Nebby shows no signs of having any power at all. I have no doubt my mother is behind their inquiry. I'm not sure what would be worse - if Nebby turns out to actually have some incredible power, or if it really is as powerless as it looks._

* * *

 _July 18th_

 _I've had this journal for a year now. A year ago, I never would have believed that my mother would let me keep it for so long, let alone allow the contents to stay a secret all this time. I've been very lucky. This journal, Wicke, and Nebby have been the only bright spots in my life ever since Gladion left._

* * *

 _September 2nd_

 _They performed some kind of experiment on Nebby today. I don't know what it was, but it must have been horrible. When I went to find Nebby in the conservatory, it wasn't there. I waited until the scientists brought it back. They wouldn't tell me what they did. Nebby was shaking like a leaf and so exhausted that it couldn't move. I sat there inside the pen, holding Nebby until one of the attendants kicked me out for the night. I cried in my bathroom for an hour. I don't know what they think they see in Nebby. Nebby is helpless. It can't defend itself. It's completely innocent. I don't know if I have ever been so angry before._

* * *

 _October 30th_

 _They took Nebby away today. It was not the first time, but today, one of the scientists told me that Nebby was not coming back. I asked what happened to Nebby, and he told me not to worry, and that Nebby was in good hands. I know that's a lie, and I have every reason to worry. My mother must still believe that Nebby holds some kind of power she can exploit. I don't know how I can do it, but I have to find a way to convince her that she is wrong._

* * *

 _November 7th_

 _Gladion's birthday again. Wicke celebrated with me just like we did last year. I did not cry this time, although I think Wicke may have teared up a bit. I know that Gladion would not want me to cry. He would want me to be strong. In fact, I think he was with me in a way today, helping me feel stronger. He stood up for what he believed in, and I know that I need to do the same. I just need to figure out how._

* * *

 _November 15th_

 _I'm shaking as I write this. My apologies for my miserable handwriting tonight. This is, without question, the angriest I have ever been._

 _I confronted mother at dinner tonight about what she was doing with Nebby. As soon as I asked the question, she launched into an absolutely venomous rant about how I am a fool to love such a useless Pokémon, and that only she knows how to love properly, and that my misguided love was getting in the way of everything she had worked toward. I asked her why she cared so much about Nebby if it was useless, and she said it was for the same reason she cared about me even though I am useless - because she loves me. I told her that what she was doing was wrong and that I would find a way to stop her. She laughed in my face and told me to go to my room. I didn't even get to eat._

* * *

 _November 17th_

 _She took my pens. She took everything except the journal. That was her power play. She left me with the one thing that mattered most to me, but with no way to use it. She confiscated my pens on the grounds that as she feared I would, I left some ink blots on the bedsheets, and so clearly I was not responsible enough to have them. I am certain she planted the ink blots on my bedsheets herself._

 _That's why this entry, and probably all others from now on, are in pencil. That's also why there's no entry for yesterday. Wicke was kind enough to find me a spare mechanical pencil. She brought it to me this evening. She hugged me while I cried. I don't know what I would do without her. I'll have to hide this pencil well._

* * *

 _November 28th_

 _I can't take it anymore. I have to get out of this place. I have to get Nebby out of here, too. At this point, I'm willing to die trying._

 _Mother made me get all dressed up today so we could give some visitor a tour of the labs. I don't know why she wanted me to be there for the tour. Normally, she won't let me anywhere near the labs. It was probably another power play, a chance to rub her victory over me in my face. The visitor was a man who seemed like an idiot. He was dressed mostly in black and wore a chain around his neck and a pair of misshapen sunglasses on his head. He talked like he thought he was one of those rappers on TV. I don't know what he was doing here, but my mother seemed to like him, oddly._

 _I saw where they've been keeping Nebby. It's this wretched glass prison with nothing inside of it. From what I heard, they occasionally subject Nebby to "stress" to see what will happen. They believe that when Nebby is under enough stress, it will use its powers to open a portal to another dimension. It made me sick to my stomach. My mother is having Nebby tortured for the sake of her research._

 _I don't understand what has happened to her. How is she the same person who once danced with me in the rain and held me so close? Was she always like this? Was I too young to see it? How can she be so evil and yet still be my mother? I despise her more and more every day, and I despise myself more and more for feeling that way. I want to run away, but I don't want that to be the end of this. I want this madness to stop. I want my mother back._

 _I don't see how I can bring her back to her old self, though. She may be too far gone. I know she won't listen to me. I can't make her change. What I can do is try to escape from here, along with Nebby. My mother is not going to give up until she either gets what she wants or Nebby is killed in the process._

 _I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'm going to do something. Gladion found a way out of here. He rescued Type: Null. I can rescue Nebby._

* * *

 _January 1st_

 _I had a long talk with Wicke last night. At this year's party, my mother did not bother to play any tricks on me and pull Wicke away for some meaningless diversion. Instead, I talked with Wicke until well after midnight._

 _I told Wicke that I wanted to escape with Nebby. She told me that not only did she think that was a good idea, but that she helped Gladion escape with Type: Null. I was stunned. Wicke must be amazing at keeping secrets. I had no idea, even after all this time. My mother must not, either. I always thought Gladion did it on his own. It feels so much more possible now that I know Wicke supports me._

 _I still don't know what we're going to do, but I have decided. My new year's resolution is to get Nebby out of here, no matter what._

* * *

 _February 4th_

 _Wicke came to my room in the middle of the night last night. She told me to get dressed and come with her. I did, and she took me to her office. She showed me a calendar, with several dates circled._

 _According to the calendar, my mother is planning for another visit from that weird guy next month. To prepare for that, they are going to reorganize the labs to better display some of their more recent discoveries. The renovation is to last for approximately two weeks. During that time, Nebby is going to be kept in a separate area, one to which Wicke has unrestricted access._

 _The big day is March 1st. Or rather, the big night. That day is a Saturday. There is relaxed security on the weekends, as always, and especially at night. That night is also the night that the monthly supply run ship is due to return to the mainland. Better yet, that night is a new moon. It should be pitch black._

 _The plan is to smuggle me and Nebby into one of the empty shipping containers on the returning supply ship. Wicke has it all figured out. She has the dock schedule memorized down to the minute. She knows the exact number and storage location of the container she is going to put me and Nebby in. It's supposed to be right by the hallway, away from the eyes of the dockhands and foreman. All I need to do is keep my head down for the next few weeks and be ready to leave that night. As long as my mother does not suspect anything, this just might work._

 _I have hope._

* * *

 _February 28th_

 _My mother suspects something. I know she does. I have been trying to act naturally for the last few weeks, but I am beginning to crack under the pressure. I am deathly afraid of what surprises she may have in store for me tomorrow night. It would be just like her to somehow sniff out my plan in advance and make no effort to stop it until she catches me in the act, just so she can gloat. I can only hope. Hope is all I have._

 _I wish it did not have to come to this. I wish I could do something to help my mother see the error of her ways. I'm afraid there is nothing more that I can do other than try to save both Nebby and myself. Maybe, if I am lucky beyond words, my escape will succeed, and it will cause her to have an epiphany._

 _I must not get ahead of myself, though. Right now, I need to focus on executing my part of the plan. I know all the times and locations for where I am supposed to be, and when, by heart. I have some supplies stashed in my bag. We are supposed to spend two days as stowaways on the ship. When we arrive on Akala Island, Wicke has directed me to seek the help of Professor Burnet. She believes this professor may be able to help return Nebby to its homeworld._

 _May luck be on our side._

* * *

 _March 4th_

 _I'm not even sure where to start. So much has happened. I am writing this from a desk in a loft in the laboratory belonging to Professor Kukui, on Melemele Island. For the first time in longer than I can remember, I am free of my mother's clutches. Nebby is with me. We are safe._

 _Our escape did not go as planned. As I suspected she would, my mother attempted to stop me at the last minute. After I removed Nebby from its holding cell, she had the elevator rerouted to take me up to the conservatory instead of down to the docks. She had her guards waiting there to apprehend me. I ran from them, but I have never been a good runner. I could only run so far._

 _When my legs failed me, the guards cornered us. I thought we were doomed, but before the guards could lay a finger on us, Nebby began to glow from inside my bag. In a flash, we were gone. It seems I was wrong about Nebby being powerless._

 _What happened next is difficult to recall. My vision twisted in a way I can't even begin to describe. Everything was so quiet. I saw stars. Then, we reappeared on an empty beach in the middle of the night. Nebby immediately collapsed from fatigue. I had no idea where we were, or if we were even still in our world. The only sign I had was that the sky was moonless, just as it was back at home. Unfortunately, this meant that it was very dark. I could barely see at all. I wandered my way up the beach for hours. Before I saw the sun again, I collapsed._

 _The next thing I remember is a young woman shaking me awake. She was a lifeguard. The sun was up. I told her I needed to find Professor Burnet. It turned out that Nebby had deposited us just outside Heahea City on Akala Island. Professor Burnet's lab was not far away. I got lost on my way, but with some help from the locals, I made it there by mid-morning._

 _It turned out that Professor Burnet was expecting me, or at least expecting someone. Someone sent her an anonymous tip that a lost girl with a strange Pokémon would show up on her doorstep. I'm sure it was Wicke._

 _Professor Burnet was so lovely. I can barely begin to praise her enough. Without a single word of protest, she welcomed me into her office, made me a cup of tea, and listened to me for hours while I explained everything. I begged her not to force me to leave Nebby and return home to my mother. She assured me she wouldn't even consider such a thing. Instead, she put me up in her office for the night, and she made arrangements with her husband, Professor Kukui, for me to stay in the loft in his laboratory indefinitely. I slept like a rock. The next day, she did not disturb me all morning. She let me sleep right through the morning until the afternoon. I needed the rest, and so did Nebby._

 _This morning, we left from her lab to take a ferry here, to Melemele Island. Her husband is a strange man. He has not put on a shirt all day. I really would prefer if he did, but I'm in no position to complain. He and Burnet are allowing me to stay here for free, for as long as I need. We spent some time rearranging the loft so that it was more of a bedroom than a storage unit. This place is a mess right now, but I've never felt so welcome anywhere. I don't even know what to say. I will have to do something to thank them._

* * *

 _March 5th_

 _After thinking about it yesterday, I asked Professor Kukui this morning if he would be willing to take me on as his assistant. He said "Haha, oh yeah! Woo!" I can never tell how serious he is. I have been here for more than a full day now, and he still has not put on a shirt._

* * *

 _March 11th_

 _I am beginning to think the professor does not own any shirts. Also, he has made the same dish for every single meal since I arrived. I suspect it is the only thing he knows how to cook._

 _A peculiar little Pokémon arrived at the lab today. It is a wild Cutiefly. She seems taken with me, for some reason. I'm not sure what to think, but Professor Kukui was all too eager to welcome Cutiefly into the lab. I hope he does not intend to perform any of his ill-advised "move research" with her._

* * *

 _March 14th_

 _I'm so happy right now that I feel like I could burst. I've never experienced anything like this._

 _I mentioned one day last week that today is my birthday. I thought nothing of it at the time. I spent the whole day today simply glad not to spend another birthday under my mother's tyranny._

 _To my surprise, Professor Burnet showed up this afternoon. She had a box with her, wrapped in paper. It was a present, meant for me. I told her I couldn't possibly accept it. She told me she would not take no for an answer. I opened it. Inside were three tickets to, of all things, a musical, playing in Hau'oli City tonight. I was speechless._

 _The next thing I knew, I was in the car with both Professor Burnet and Kukui, on our way to Hau'oli City. They treated me to a birthday dinner, at which I received a free ice cream sundae and a birthday serenade at our table. Then, we went to the show. Professor Kukui still did not wear a shirt, but at least he buttoned up his lab coat before we entered the theater._

 _I began crying less than five minutes into the show, and I never really stopped. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It was the story of a man in Kalos long ago who was wrongfully imprisoned, released after many years, and dedicated his new life to helping those less fortunate, all while remaining a fugitive. The melodies continue to echo in my ears even now as I write. It was divine._

 _I have never had a better birthday. The only way it could have been better is if Gladion and Wicke could have been here, too._

* * *

 _May 8th_

 _I met a boy today. Other than Gladion, he was the first one I ever met, at least formally. His name was Hau. He came to the laboratory with his grandfather, a giant man named Hala, who is the kahuna of this island. I knew of Hala from my readings about Alolan culture. What I was not prepared for, though, was how excitable Hau was._

 _If anything, I was hoping to maybe make a friend, but Hau made that difficult. He was so loud and energetic all the time that it was nearly impossible to have a conversation with him. He was kind to Nebby, though. This was one of the first days poor Nebby has felt well enough to play outside since we arrived here._

 _I'm not sure why it mattered so much that Hau was a boy. If he had been a girl, I'm sure I still would not have liked him very much. Maybe I'm wrong, though. I've never met a girl my age, either._

* * *

 _May 11th_

 _Hau came by again today. His excuse seemed flimsy. He was alone this time. Despite what he said, I think it was because he wanted to see me. I didn't know what to do. I didn't particularly want to spend any more time with him, but I did not want to hurt his feelings, either, especially since he could be the first real friend of my own age I've ever made. So, I sat there with him, with my nose buried in a book the whole time, nodding along with his stories. I don't think he understood that I did not want to be bothered. I would like him a lot more if he talked about anything other than himself._

* * *

 _June 21st_

 _Hau came by again today, this time with Hala. Hau invited me to come to a festival being held a couple of weeks from now in Iki Town to commemorate the start of his island challenge. He seemed very excited. I wish I felt excited for him. If I understood correctly, there is to be a battle at this festival as an offering to Tapu Koko. I wish I could have declined his invitation. I don't want to see Pokémon get hurt._

* * *

 _July 1st_

 _Professor Kukui said today that we would be hosting some visitors for a while, two strong trainers who he thinks may be able to help him with his research. He even suggested that if I got to know the two of them well enough, perhaps they could accompany me on a journey throughout Alola to take Nebby to visit all of the ruins._

 _I'm not sure how fond I am of the idea. I don't want even more people to become involved in this. It is difficult enough already to keep Nebby hidden. Rather than tell the professor that I liked his idea, I asked him for permission to take a couple of days off so I could take Nebby to the ruins outside of Iki Town and do some research there for myself. I want to show him, and everyone, that I am not helpless. And also, any excuse to miss Hau's festival helps._

* * *

 _July 5th_

 _So many things have happened, once again. As it turns out, I greatly misjudged how long the journey to the ruins would take. Even though I'm so slow on foot and I got lost, I was still there a day ahead of schedule, just in time for the festival. I never knew my sense of direction was so poor._

 _Nebby got so excited as we approached the ruins that it hopped out of my bag. It was difficult to keep up. I thought my legs were going to give out, just like they did in the conservatory. Before that could happen, though, Nebby ran out onto a dilapidated old bridge over a ravine and was attacked by a flock of Spearow._

 _I had no way to defend Nebby. I could not go out on that bridge. I was certain it was not going to hold me. I did the only thing I could think to do. I called for help._

 _Somehow, someone was there to answer. Only a few seconds after my cry, a boy came running up the hill, and a girl behind him. The boy asked me what was wrong. All I could think to say was to ask him to please save Nebby._

 _Without any hesitation at all, he ran out onto the bridge. He didn't have a clue who I was. He knew nothing about Nebby. He had no reason to risk himself to help me, but he did. The girl with him did not seem pleased with how reckless he was, especially when one of the planks on the bridge gave way beneath him. Regardless, he succeeded. He made it to the center of the bridge, and he shielded Nebby with his body._

 _And then, Nebby panicked, tried to teleport, and accidentally destroyed the bridge. The girl screamed. I may have, too. I can't remember. All I remember is that one moment, the boy was falling to his death with Nebby clutched to his chest, and the next moment, Tapu Koko swooped in and saved them. I saw Tapu Koko with my own eyes. We all did._

 _Tapu Koko left the boy a sparkling stone, an incredibly rare event, from what I have read. I asked the boy and the girl to please see me and Nebby back to town, as I was worried about being attacked again. When we reached town, Professor Kukui met us. It turned out that the boy and the girl were our guests at the lab. The boy was Ash, and the girl was Serena._

 _Hala decided that Ash was meant to be Hau's opponent in the battle offering, as he was chosen by Tapu Koko. Normally, I would not have been able to stand to watch, but tonight, I couldn't help it. I even shouted some advice at him that I think won him the battle, because he wasn't familiar with Rowlet's moves. I couldn't take my eyes off him. It was so strange._

* * *

 _July 6th_

 _The professor asked me to take Ash and Serena on a tour of Hau'oli City while he was away this weekend. I don't know what he was thinking. I can barely find my way around at all. Still, I was determined to do my duty as his assistant. I tried my best, but I didn't do a very good job. It was embarrassing. It was even more embarrassing when Nebby escaped from my bag, somehow. I needed Ash and Serena's help to find it._

 _It turns out that Ash and Serena are a couple. I'm not sure why I did not realize that earlier, but the truth only occurred to me when I saw Serena take Ash by the hand on the beach. It made me a bit uncomfortable, honestly. I think I'm beginning to like Serena, though. I can't put my finger on exactly why, but I think we may have more in common than either of us realize. I hope I get to spend some more time with her._

* * *

 _July 9th_

 _I think I may have made a real friend, for the first time in my life._

 _Cutiefly likes Serena. Serena is the first person other than me that I've seen Cutiefly gravitate toward. I don't know what to make of it, but I figure it must be a positive sign._

 _I was trying to mend the professor's lab coats again. Serena saw how much trouble I was having, and when I started to speak harshly about myself, she put her foot down and told me to stop it, and then we went to the Pokémon Center café together._

 _The way she spoke to me was so different from the way anybody has ever spoken to me ever before. It wasn't like Wicke, who would always try to comfort me and tell me everything would be alright. It wasn't like Professor Burnet, who always tells me that nothing is as big a problem as it seems. Serena spoke to me as though she understood how I felt, and like she wanted better for me because she felt like I deserved it._

 _I had to excuse myself and run to the restroom to hide my tears. When I came back, we talked about our mothers a bit, and then Serena made a call home. It sounded like it went very well. I was in such a good mood that on our way home, I told her about the time I danced in the rain with my mother. Serena closed the umbrella that was covering us, and we danced our way back to the lab. We got drenched to the bone, but we didn't care. I had a wonderful time. I hope we don't both catch colds because of it._

* * *

 _July 11th_

 _It's just like old times - I'm writing this beneath a blanket by the light of a flashlight. I am in a tent right now, in Melemele Meadow. It has been quite a day._

 _Ash came to my aid again. I couldn't handle the hike up the mountain. I didn't want to admit it, but I needed help. Serena even offered her help, but I refused. It was silly of me. I should have listened to her, but all I could think of was trying to run away from those goons with Nebby, and failing. I kept saying I had to be stronger._

 _None of that mattered when Ash came back to help me, though. I don't understand why, but for some reason, I wanted to accept his help when I didn't want to accept Serena's. I think I may have hurt Serena's feelings. She was very quiet for a while afterward. Ash carried me on his back the rest of the way to the summit. I was so exhausted at first that I didn't realize how much of my body was touching his. When I realized, it made me blush. I've never had that much physical contact with anyone before. I was really embarrassed afterward._

 _Nebby immediately escaped from my bag when we reached the meadow. I had to rely on Ash and Serena to find it. It took them hours. I felt so pathetic. The rest of the evening was fun, though. Ash had lots of stories to share around the campfire. It sounds like he and Serena have traveled to a lot of places together._

 _I don't really understand their relationship. Is this what love looks like? I've never truly seen it, certainly not from my parents. Professor Burnet and Kukui are both so easygoing that one would never know they were married unless they said so. Serena and Ash are so different, yet at times so similar. Sometimes, I feel like I could forget that they are together._

 _I don't know what I feel. It's a complicated feeling. It may be envy. I hope it isn't. I don't want to feel that way, especially not toward my first real friends. And yet, right now, I wish I wasn't alone. I'm the only one here who isn't in a relationship. It's so awkward. I have a lot to think about._

* * *

 _July 15th_

 _Just like last week when I was being hard on myself, Serena stepped in again today and put an end to it. This time, she took me shopping. Not just for anything, though. We went shopping for clothes._

 _To be honest, I was terrified. As much as I despise what my mother has done to my sense of fashion, I struggle to bring myself to wear anything but the clothes she forced upon me. Serena was so kind to me. She gave me the gentle push I needed to try some new things. I didn't like any of the new colors very much, but I did find an outfit that I liked. At Serena's recommendation, I bought it. I don't know when I'll find the courage to wear it, though._

 _Serena was so helpful, but she also seemed a bit distracted. I'm beginning to get the impression that she has a lot on her mind all the time. I think my hunch was right, that she and I have a lot more in common than either of us realize._

 _I found out that she and Ash have a lot of history together. They met when they were just little kids at summer camp. Serena spent years waiting for a chance to see him again. It's so heartwarming. Honestly, it makes me jealous. Thanks to my mother, I've been robbed of having such an opportunity in my life. I don't know why it hurts so much, but it does. I always had more serious things to worry about than having a childhood sweetheart. Now that I can truly see how much greener the grass is on the other side, I think I'm getting a chance to mourn what never came to pass._

* * *

 _July 17th_

 _Ash and Serena went out on a date tonight. I'm glad to have some time alone in the loft to write. I've had a lot on my mind._

 _I told Serena about my intentions to ask Ash to help me take Nebby to the ruins on each of Alola's islands. She requested to talk to him about it first before I ask him, and I told her I understood completely. I would be asking so much of him. Of both of them, really._

 _I'm beginning to get impatient, though. I can't stop daydreaming of traveling with Ash. I'm certain Serena would be with us, too, but in my daydreams, I only see Ash. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it is because Serena has seemed a bit more distant for the last few days. I hope everything is alright. I'm beginning to grow worried about her._

* * *

The lock turned. Serena gasped. She panicked. She stuffed Lillie's journal into her bag and scrambled to her feet. The door opened.

"Serena?"

It was Lillie. Her voice echoed through the empty lab.

In the silence that came after, Serena screamed internally. She stood in the middle of the living room with one hand clutching her bag and the other behind her back. The cushions from the sofa were scattered in all directions. There was a fresh dent in the wall. Her eyes met Lillie's, and she prayed that Lillie could not see the all the terrible truths she was hiding behind them.

"Is... everything okay?" said Lillie. Her face showed confusion and worry. "I was concerned when I noticed the door was locked."

"Oh, yes," Serena said in a hurry. "Everything's fine. Just fine, really. It's an old habit of mine from back at home, that's all."

Lillie's eyes fell upon the bare frame of the sofa.

"What happened to the sofa?" she said. "Don't tell me you forgot about Stufful, too! Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," said Serena. "It was just a little accident. I'm not hurt. Stufful freaked out, though. It ran off somewhere."

Lillie folded her arms and shook her head. She looked toward Professor Kukui's bedroom at the end of the hall.

"Underneath the professor's bed again, I'm sure," said Lillie.

Lillie's gaze lingered on the bedroom door. Serena's heart hammered. The scene in her vision throbbed as her veins pulsed with a spike of adrenaline. There was no hiding what she had done. How long would it be before Lillie noticed?

"Is Braixen well?" said Lillie.

"Um, yes, she is," said Serena. "I actually put her in her Poké Ball to rest. I was worried that things might be getting too noisy. You know, with Hau here and all."

Serena hoped to elicit an amused reaction from Lillie. All she got was one eyebrow, slightly raised.

"Are... you sure you're alright?" said Lillie. She did not look amused. She looked concerned. "You don't look so well. You look a bit pale..."

Serena's hand moved without thought, against her will. She wiped her fingers across her forehead. They came away damp with cool sweat. She stared at them, stunned.

There was no hiding now. It was hopeless.

"Serena?"

Serena's eyes slid back into focus. They focused on Lillie. Serena opened her mouth to speak. Nothing came out.

She was cornered. Trapped. Caught in the act. There was no way she could do this, and yet, she had to. She had no choice.

Lillie's face became even more worried in the extended silence. Serena shook her head. At last, she spoke.

"No," said Serena.

"No?" said Lillie. "You mean, something is wrong?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"We need to talk."

"Oh… okay?" said Lillie. She looked around for a moment.

Lillie's hands were folded. Her shoulders were tight. Her face was fraught with worry. Her eyes were full of fear. Serena knew that Lillie was not dumb. She knew that Lillie was well aware that something was very, very wrong.

"...what do we need to talk about?" said Lillie.

Lillie's question broke a silence that had lasted longer than Serena realized. It still was not enough time to think of the right way to broach the subject.

"A lot of things," said Serena.

Lillie bowed her head, tight-lipped. Serena tried to think of where to start her explanation of her mistrust and its long chain of consequences. Would it be best to start where they met, on Mahalo Trail? What about everything that happened in Monego City? Would she need to explain that, too? Would even that be enough? Why not go all the way back to the beginning, when she met Ash? Maybe it would be best to go even further back than that, all the way to the true beginning.

But before Serena decided, her train of thought was abruptly derailed.

"Is it about Ash?" said Lillie.

Serena's eyes widened.

"Yes."

Lillie, yet again, hid her eyes behind the brim of her hat. She shook her head.

"I was concerned that things might come to this," she said.

"Come to what?" said Serena.

"To… this," said Lillie. "A confrontation, I suppose."

"A confrontation?"

"Yes," said Lillie. "As much as I do not like it, yes."

"What made you think that?" said Serena.

She hoped her face was as blank and stony as it felt. It was a ploy. A ruse. A chance to play ignorant. She knew exactly why. It was only matter of seeing if Lillie would admit the answer, or if she even understood it for herself.

"I… I have had a feeling for a while that there may be, um… a number of things we needed to talk about."

"Regarding Ash?" said Serena.

"Yes," said Lillie.

"Such as?" said Serena.

She felt sick in her stomach. It was exactly the kind of leading question her mother would ask to try to lure her into a trap.

"Well, for one, I… I have my doubts that Ash was telling the truth when he said that you were okay with us traveling around Alola together."

"Oh?"

Lillie looked embarrassed to have the impetus to speak placed back on her again so quickly. She said only one word.

"Yes."

Somewhere deep in the back of Serena's mind, gears were turning. It was no wonder Lillie could not convince her mother of anything. She was a novice at arguing. She was a doormat. She posed no threat of comeuppance whatsoever.

Serena had the upper hand, and she knew it. She was not going to be bested in a battle of words. She had spent her whole life sparring with a true master. Lillie was an amateur. Serena would give no ground. She would not budge. She would make Lillie do everything.

"And why is that?" said Serena.

"I… I don't get the impression that you are very enthusiastic about the idea, despite what you have said. I thought that the reason you wanted to talk to Ash about it before I did was so that you could tell him you didn't want to do it."

"If that's what you thought, then why did you accept Ash's help?" said Serena. "Were you really _that_ concerned about me?"

Lillie looked a bit taken aback.

"I _need_ his help," she said. "I know I have not been particularly forthcoming as to _why,_ but-"

"No, you certainly have not," Serena said, interrupting.

"But I really do need help," said Lillie. "I… I don't understand why you seem so resistant to this. I thought you understood."

"Understood what?"

Lillie struggled for words for a moment.

"Not necessarily my exact situation, but at least a general sense of where I was coming from," she said. "You even seemed to encourage me to do this. You told me I deserved better for myself. You told me to stop being so hard on myself, and to stand up for myself. So, I asked for help."

"I wanted you to be happier," said Serena. "I had no idea that your path to happiness was going to be to ask my boyfriend to be your bodyguard while you took Nebby on a tour of Alola."

"I know it seems that way, but... there's more to it than that," said Lillie.

"Now would be a great time for you to explain, then," said Serena.

"I suppose it would, wouldn't it?" said Lillie. She stuck her tongue between her teeth, thinking for a moment. "Goodness, I don't know where to begin…"

Serena knew several subjects which all would have made good places for Lillie to start. She said nothing. She folded her arms and waited, her eyes drilling into Lillie's skull. Despite her position, she was unsure what her next move should be. She focused on giving away none of her uncertainty. Even though she had a vague understanding of the truth and was more than ready to pounce at the first sign of inaccuracy or dishonesty, she knew she could not go on the offensive without giving away her treachery.

So, Serena waited.

"I suppose there are several things I should explain about Nebby first," said Lillie. "I have been hesitant to share them with you, or with anyone, because, well… they are rather sensitive matters. Although, I suppose you could already have guessed that, couldn't you?"

"Yes," said Serena. "That was pretty clear all along."

Lillie paused for a moment, then nodded.

"There really was no way for me to hide it," said Lillie. "Nebby is no ordinary Pokémon. Honestly, it feels silly that I have tried to keep up that illusion for so long. I'm sure you saw right through it, at least after Nebby saved us all from Ash and Greninja's Mega Tsunami move, anyway."

Serena nodded.

"I mentioned that Nebby was a fugitive," said Lillie. "Truthfully, so am I, in a sense. I never explained why, though, and I apologize for that. I should have been more forthcoming, but I could not risk giving anything away until I was certain I could trust you. Even then, I waited too long. I knew I could trust you long ago."

Internally, Serena winced.

"This will probably all sound crazy…" said Lillie. "But, um… remember how I said Nebby was not from here?"

"Yes."

"And do you remember how I said that Nebby did not have the strength to make the journey from its own dimension to ours on its own?"

"Yes," Serena said again.

"Well, that's all true, but it's not the whole truth," said Lillie. "I'm sure you've wondered how Nebby managed to get here, then. I know this will sound ridiculous, but I promise you I'm being serious. Nebby was brought into this world... as a result of my mother's experiments."

Serena feigned surprise. It came out as incredulity.

"Oh?" she said.

Lillie looked embarrassed.

"Yes, really. I know how absurd it sounds, but…"

Lillie paused. She looked nervous to continue.

"But, tell me," Lillie continued. "When Nebby teleported us... did you see it, too? _"_

Serena's eyes narrowed.

"See what?" said Serena.

"That... _beast,"_ said Lillie.

"That _thing?"_ said Serena. She froze. There was only one thing Lillie could mean.

With her lips tight, Lillie nodded. A moment later, Serena nodded, too. It was only once, and it was stiff, but it was a nod.

The beast. The specter of her nightmares. There was no doubt now. Its similarity to Lillie was not a coincidence.

Lillie looked like she did not want to continue, but she did anyway.

"That… _thing_ has a name," said Lillie. "So does Nebby, actually. And that _thing_ is the whole reason everything has gone so wrong."

Serena struggled to contain the surprise on her face. She clenched her jaw, trying only to narrow her eyes, and no more.

There was no mention of this in Lillie's journal, at least not in the entries she had read. Had she skipped over this?

"It's all part of my mother's research," said Lillie. "It's her obsession. Her muse. That thing, that _beast..._ It is named Nihilego. She named it herself."

The name made Serena's spine tingle. Lillie also appeared to shiver at the sound of it.

"Her team of scientists gave Nebby its original name," said Lillie. "They named it Cosmog. I don't know how they managed to summon Nebby to our world, but there is no doubt in my mind that Nebby ending up here was a result, perhaps unintentional, of their experiments."

For the first time, Serena ventured to ask a real question.

"What were they trying to do?"

Lillie sighed. She also folded her arms.

"My mother… she was once a respectable scientist," said Lillie. "She used to be a colleague of Professor Burnet, as a matter of fact. So was my father. My parents were both dimensional researchers. They met each other through their work and bonded over their passion for it."

Lillie stopped for a moment. She seemed to be collecting her thoughts.

"But my mother was… over-zealous. She has always been prone to taking things one step too far, I think."

Serena was certain that was a massive understatement.

"One of her experiments to probe another dimension worked much better than she expected," said Lillie. "She found more than another dimension. She found _life_ in that dimension. She found a Pokémon. Or at least, something _like_ a Pokémon. It was that beast."

Lillie closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head.

"She was convinced that she had made the discovery of the century," said Lillie. "Not just another dimension, but life within it. The problem was that she had no recording of it, no data at all. She had only seen it with her eyes. And so, she became obsessed with that beast, and with replicating the results of her experiment. The problem was that for her, obsessions are more than just fascinations. They take over her life. She has always been that way."

Dots began to connect inside Serena's brain. Lillie's mother's research. Her obsession. Her _muse._

Lillie, her mother's doll. Custom-made clothes. Forbidden from wearing anything else.

"She eventually succeeded at re-opening a portal to that dimension," said Lillie. "She was dealing with powers beyond her understanding, though. Her success came at a great cost. Her second encounter with that beast changed her forever. It became more than an obsession. It was as though the beast sucked the goodness right out of her soul. She lost herself in her obsession, and my brother and I… lost our father."

Lillie went quiet. Serena spoke.

"Was that why he left?" she asked.

"Yes, but… not exactly," said Lillie. "Up until then, he helped my mother with her research. He supported her in everything she did. They were a perfect team. But my mother was desperate to obtain proof for her discovery. She was convinced it would cement her legacy as the scientist who made the greatest discovery in history. Her experiment to open another portal to that dimension was risky, and she paid the price. Or at least, the rest of us did. The portal was unstable. My father… he was pulled through it."

Serena's jaw dropped.

"My mother made no attempt to rescue him. That evil beast had already warped her mind. The only thing she cared about anymore was seeing it again. She wanted to make it her own. That, and she wanted to cover up her tracks, so her experiments could continue."

Serena just stared, mouth open.

"So, I lost my father that day, but really, I lost my mother, too," said Lillie. "That was more than ten years ago."

Ten years. Serena's heart seized.

"My mother came from a very wealthy family, though," said Lillie. "She had the resources to devote her entire existence to that beast, and to cover up everything she had done. She created a foundation which was supposed to be devoted to the protection and preservation of Pokémon. Instead, it was a façade to make her look like a philanthropist and a conservationist so she could continue her work in secret. She constructed an artificial island in the middle of the ocean as a sanctuary for injured Pokémon. She called it a paradise. It was a prison. I was trapped there until I escaped with Nebby a few months ago."

It all made sense. Why Lillie could not simply run away. Why her escape, and her brother's escape, had to be so delicately planned.

"The experiments she and her team of scientists conducted there in secrecy became more and more horrible," said Lillie. She tightened her arms around herself as she spoke. "I'm sure that what I know is only the tip of the iceberg. They found more of those horrible beasts. They even created one of their own, equally as horrible, engineered to be a beast killer. My brother escaped with it before they could use it for their own nefarious purposes. Nebby's appearance also came about as a result of one of their experiments."

Lillie stopped. She swallowed, shook her head, then continued.

"When they realized that Nebby had the power to teleport between dimensions, they planned to use it to open a portal between this dimension and that one. They wanted to use Nebby to summon those beasts directly into our world. When I discovered what they planned to do, I knew I had to break Nebby free, just like my brother did with their beast killer. If they had succeeded in bringing Nihilego into our world…"

Lillie shut her eyes tight. She shook her head again.

"I… don't even want to imagine what would happen," she said. "I've seen what only a few seconds in the presence of that beast did to my mother. If it found someone truly evil to tempt… I don't want to think about it."

Serena looked down, toward her own chest, toward her rapidly beating heart.

She had seen Nihilego, too. It lingered in her mind. It hung over her thoughts like the great, gaping veil of negativity it assuredly was. Had it tainted her, too? Was it the cause of all her woes? Had it poisoned her brain, as it had poisoned Lillie's mother?

But then again, it seemed clear that Lillie had also seen it. She did not seem to be affected.

Serena shuddered at the implications.

Then, she was startled by the sound of Lillie's voice. The silence between them had lasted longer than Serena realized. It had provided enough time for tears to arrive to smother Lillie's words.

"My mother says she loves Pokémon. That she _protects_ Pokémon. But she… she and her scientists knew that Nebby only uses its power under duress! They were going to make it open a wormhole no matter what… even if it meant torturing Nebby to death!"

As the final words left Lillie's lips, she sniffled, and she held a hand over her mouth.

"That's why I had to break Nebby free! That's why I had to escape. I… I can't stand seeing Pokémon get hurt!"

Lillie stifled a sob.

"I can't let what happened to my mother happen to anyone else!" she said. "She wasn't evil, but Nihilego _made_ her that way! She used to know how to love. _Really_ love, not the twisted, evil obsession she calls love now! I know she still knows how, somewhere deep inside, but I don't know if she can be saved. I may not be able to save her, but I can save everyone else, if I can send Nebby home!"

While Lillie sniffled, trying to pull herself together, Serena just stared and stared. Now, definitively, she knew it was true. She was being sucked into someone else's story. She was nothing more than a side character in the quest to save the world.

Lillie held back the tears. She wiped the corners of her eyes.

"So, do you see why I need Ash's help?" she asked.

"Yes."

Serena's tone was sharp. Lillie froze and met Serena's eye.

"I'm sorry," said Lillie. "I… I did not mean for things to be this way. Believe me, I don't like this at all."

"Neither do I."

"I understand."

"No, you don't."

Lillie's face fell. Her mouth parted in surprise. Serena glared back at her, her face as tight as could be.

"...Serena?" said Lillie.

"I'm sick of this," said Serena. "I'm so, _so_ sick of this."

"Sick of what?"

"Everything," said Serena. "But I'm sick of _this_ most of all."

"But… what do you mean?"said Lillie. "Sick of what?"

"I'm sick of everything surrounding _you."_

Lillie's jaw hung open. She backed away a step.

"Serena!" she said. The hurt in her voice was obvious. Serena pushed right past it and continued.

 _"Every single thing_ that has happened since Ash and I got here has revolved around you, whether we knew it or not," said Serena. "The whole reason we're here is because of you!"

"I- I didn't ask Professor Kukui to invite you all here!" said Lillie. "I didn't want to drag you or anyone else into this! I would much rather solve this on my own, but I simply can't!"

"Do you have any idea what it's like to be lied to like this? To be tricked? To be pulled around thinking it's by your own free will when really, you're just someone else's puppet?"

Lillie blinked a few times, stunned. The pause gave Serena enough time both for her to realize the naïveté of what she had said and for the anger to well up in her throat. She grit her teeth. She spoke before Lillie could say anything.

"Shut up!"

Lillie seemed to shrink before her in her vision.

"I… didn't say anything…" said Lillie.

Serena pressed her fingers against her temples.

"I can't stand this!" said Serena. "You have no idea what I went through to get to this point. You have no idea how much I struggled and how much I fought to get what I have today. I don't care that you need it more than me! I will _not_ let you take it away."

Lillie was momentarily lost for words.

"...what are you talking about?" she said.

"I'm talking about Ash!" said Serena.

Lillie bit her lip. Serena continued.

"I waited for _years_ for a chance to see him again. I waited years again to tell him how I felt. I dragged him with me, through hell and back, to break down the walls between us so we could finally open up to each other. And all the while, I was tricked by people who were more powerful than me. Deceived. Manipulated. I sacrificed every single thing I had in order to form my relationship with him. And now, the second we get a chance to be together without anything else going on, for once, _you_ step in and ruin all of it!"

Lillie looked horrified.

"Serena! I- I didn't do this on purpose!"

"I _know_ you didn't!" said Serena. "That's what makes it so frustrating! All I wanted was to be with Ash, live our lives, and finally be able to make it _our_ story. But instead, it's _your_ story. You showed up, and suddenly you just fit into everything like it was all meant to be from the beginning. Predestined! Predetermined! This, after I've spent almost my entire life trying to take control of it! I finally get a taste of what that's like, and then it turns out the world was just playing another trick on me. It only _looked_ like I got to be in control of my own destiny. Instead, I'm at your mercy. Do you have _any idea_ how that feels?"

Once again, a pause gave Serena all the time she needed to know how foolish her question was.

"I-"

 _"Shut up!"_

Serena's voice echoed through the lab. She was sure her outburst was audible from outside. She did not care. She continued.

"Do you see the position you've put me in?! You one-up me at _everything_ without even trying! I can't complain about anything to you in good faith because no matter what it is, you've had it so much worse than me, and I end up making a fool of myself! My mom and I fight a lot. Your mom is an evil mastermind! My dad left. Your dad was sucked into another dimension! I have issues with trusting people. You have a million more reasons to feel that way than I do, but somehow, you don't! I spent my childhood alone on a farm, arguing with my mom and wishing I was anywhere else. You spent your entire life until now being held prisoner by your mother! I want to be with Ash so that I can finally have the romance with him that I have wanted for years. You _need_ him because, apparently, the fate of the entire world depends on it!"

Serena threw her hands up in exasperation to punctuate her rant.

"Do you see what I mean?" she continued. "I just want to be with my boyfriend, but of course I just _had_ to fall in love with the best hero there ever was, and we just _had_ to run into you, the best damsel in distress there ever was. It's like fate is taunting me. _Haha, so close!_ _Maybe next time!_ More like _never_. I've had enough of this. I have no reason to hate you, and that's what I hate most of all! You've inserted yourself into this and ruined all of it without ever meaning to! I have _nothing_ on you! Not one single thing! You're more gentle, more kind, more graceful, more polite, more beautiful, more educated, more _worthy_ than I am. You have every reason to have everything go your way. The world has been incredibly unfair to you. Next to you, I have no ground on which to stand, and I am so sick of it. I've had enough!"

Tears ran silently down Lillie's cheeks.

"But- but I… thought we were friends…" said Lillie.

"I tried," said Serena. "I tried so hard. I really, truly put my best foot forward. I really did. I _wanted_ to be friends. I wanted to help you. And honestly? I think we could have been best friends. We have so much in common. We have so much to share with each other. But the problem is that you _need_ me to share the one thing I won't share with anybody."

Lillie sobbed. Just like Serena's voice, her cries echoed through the empty lab.

"But _why?"_ said Lillie.

"You can't have him," said Serena. "You will not take him from me. He's _mine."_

"I don't want to _take_ him! I need his help!"

"Did you not hear a word that I said?" said Serena. "I'm trapped in a story that has nothing to do with me! I'm stuck here, along for the ride while my hero boyfriend plays the role of knight in shining armor for another girl! You expect me to just stand by while that happens?"

"The whole world is in danger!"

"I don't care about the world! Ash is my world! Without him, I don't have a world! I have nothing!"

"No one will have anything if my mother gets her way!"

"Then what difference does that make to me? I lose the only thing that matters to me either way!"

Lillie clenched her fists. She swallowed, then took a deep breath. She steadied her voice, and she raised it.

"Are you serious?" she said. "Do you hear yourself? Other things matter in this world besides your relationship with Ash!"

"Other trainers exist, too," Serena said, gritting her teeth. "Find someone else! Ash is _mine."_

"Ash isn't your possession!" said Lillie.

"He's my boyfriend!"

"Do you _actually_ love him?"

Serena's brow tightened to the point that it hurt. She not only grit her teeth, but bared them.

"How _dare_ you ask me that!"

"Do you have any faith in him at all?" said Lillie. "Why are you so convinced that I'm going to take him from you?"

"I _know_ you're falling for him, whether you know it or not!"

"I-"

"Don't even try to deny it!"

"I would never, ever get in the way of you two!" said Lillie. "I wouldn't dream of it!"

"Yes, you would."

"What about Ash?" said Lillie. "Where are his feelings in all of this? Why do you think he would leave you for me? Doesn't he love you?"

For a moment, existence halted. An icepick jammed directly into Serena's heart. She went cold. An instant later, the dam collapsed. All at once, the tears came flowing out, and Serena's reply came as something between a wail and a scream.

 _"No!"_

Serena made no effort to cover her face. Instead, she clenched her jaw and tried utterly in vain to tough it out while staring directly into Lillie's eyes. The sobs came messy and wet, forcing their way through her teeth. Her head felt like it would split right down the center.

Lillie watched, her mouth open in shock. She backed up another step.

Serena was almost unintelligible as she sputtered through the tears.

"He doesn't love me, and he has no reason to! Look at what I've done! I've ruined _everything!"_

Lillie hesitated for a moment.

"But… do you love him?" she asked.

"I _don't know!_ I've done nothing but dream of being with him for all this time, but love isn't supposed to feel like this! It's not supposed to be this hard!"

"Love is _very_ hard," said Lillie.

Serena glared at Lillie.

 _"Oh?"_ said Serena. "And just what would you know about that? You said you didn't know what love was like!"

In an instant, Lillie's demeanor changed. She glared back at Serena. Her eyes were no longer wide with fear. They were fierce.

As soon as Serena saw the look on Lillie's face, she knew she had made a grave mistake.

Lillie spoke quietly, in a calm, deliberate tone.

"I know a lot more than you think."

Despite the tears, Serena froze. Deep within her stomach, she felt it. The charade was over.

"I choose to love," said Lillie. "Even though I have every reason not to, I _choose_ to love."

It was all over.

"I love Nebby, even though I know that one day I will have to say goodbye forever. I love my mother, even though she has caused me nothing but pain for so long. I _choose_ to love her. I even love you, in a way. Even if you hate me now, you were, for a moment, the first real friend I ever had. Even though you've said a lot of hurtful things today, I don't hate you. I choose not to. I choose to love you, because you, and everyone, has some good inside them."

Serena cried in silence. Tears dripped from her face onto the floor below. She couldn't see. She couldn't think.

There was only one thing left to do.

"Lillie…"

"Yes?"

"Lillie, I'm… I'm so sorry. I'm _so_ sorry…"

"It's okay," said Lillie. "It may take some time, but we can work this out."

"No," said Serena. She shook her head.

"I mean it," said Lillie. "I still really do want to be friends with you."

"No," Serena said again. "There's… one more thing."

"What is it?"

Trembling, Serena reached into her bag. For one last moment, she hoped it was all her imagination, that the journal wouldn't be there, that this was all nothing but a dream.

But instead, when Serena pulled the journal from her bag, Lillie gasped and fell to her knees.

Her hands shaking and ice cold, Serena tried to hand the journal to Lillie. But Lillie's hands weren't there, and the journal fell, coming to rest open and face-down on the floor.

Lillie pulled on the brim of her giant, floppy hat with both hands, anguished tears beginning to fall. Serena shut her eyes. She could not bear to watch. She stepped past Lillie.

Serena opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't think of anything to say. Before she could form words, her breath was stolen by Lillie's agonized cry.

Serena hurried to the door.


	12. See You on the Dark Side of the Moon

Chapter Twelve – See You on the Dark Side of the Moon

Serena stepped outside. It was dusk. In the distance, Ash and Hau battled. Serena did not bother to stop and look. She was certain Ash was winning. Instead, she descended the front steps as quickly as her feet would carry her and ducked around the far side of the lab, hiding from sight.

She wandered toward the shore. In the distance, a palm tree swayed in the breeze. The sun was down. The moon was rising over the sea. It was only half full. The night sky was crystal clear. The stars were just beginning to shine. In the pristine sky, the faint shadow of the dark side of the moon could be seen. It was split perfectly in half, like a Poké Ball. One half was an ethereal, shimmering white. The other half was a ghostly black.

Serena folded her arms as if wrapping them around herself, trying to steady herself. She stared at the moon. The longer she stared, the less like the moon it looked. Perhaps it was all the tears. Perhaps she had finally lost her mind, for real. Either way, the longer she stared, the more and more it looked like a Poké Ball, and the more and more colors it shone. It did not just shine a brilliant white, but all the colors of the rainbow.

Minutes passed. She blinked. She shook her head, and it was all gone. Surely this time she had gone insane. If this was not insanity, what was? The headache she had was by far the worst of her life. Her head may as well have been in a vise. In fact, a vise may have been helpful. She was not certain if her head was going to implode or explode, but she figured some stability either way would help.

She looked around. Her present location was not much of a hiding spot. She was exposed on all sides. It was only Ash and Hau's battle that kept them from seeing her, she was sure. Even then, that was certain to soon be over. Hau was no match for Ash under any circumstances. Their battle would end, and then, her time would really, truly, be up.

There was no hiding anymore. The truth was in plain sight. Serena knew it now. Everything that had happened, every single thing that had gone wrong, was her fault. It was all her fault. All of it. No one else had done anything wrong. It was all her. Not Lillie, not Ash. Nobody except her.

Every bad decision had been her own. Every lie had come from her mouth. Every seed of mistrust had been sown by her own hand. There was no reason they could not all have been happy together and gone on a great adventure as friends, except for the poison she had injected into herself. Forget Nihilego. It was her own venom coursing through her veins.

There was nothing to be done now. Maybe, if she had not destroyed Lillie's property and invaded her privacy, there would have been some hope of reconciliation. There was none now. Lillie would have no reason to forgive her. She had done something so petty and terrible that it was beneath even Lillie's mother. She would be lucky if _Ash_ forgave her for it. She would surely no longer be welcome in the lab. Everything was ruined, thanks to her.

She could not imagine Ash being on her side in any case. There was no chance he would support her. It was impossible to imagine him staying with her. Where would she even go? Ash already had a brand-new journey and purpose waiting for him right here. He even had a pretty girl who would be with him for a quick rebound after the forthcoming end of his relationship.

Serena supposed this was it. The actual end. How fitting that she brought it upon herself. The more she considered it, the more obvious it seemed.

It was time to go.

But then, buzzing filled her ears.

"Hey, Serena!"

Serena did not turn her head. She only looked with her eyes. Ash ran toward her from across the beach, waving to her. Pikachu ran beside him. Cutiefly flew frantically in front of both of them. Hau was nowhere to be seen.

Serena did not respond. Her lack of response elicited another call as Ash approached.

"Serena?"

Serena sighed. She bowed her head. Cutiefly landed on the brim of her hat and chirped. Her song was not cheerful or melodious. It was dissonant.

Ash came up beside Serena.

"Hey, what's up?" he said.

Lips tight, Serena looked up at the sky. She shook her head, forcing Cutiefly to take flight again. She knew her tear-stained face would provoke some questions, and it did.

"Are you okay?" said Ash.

"No."

"Do you wanna talk about it?" said Ash.

Serena shut her eyes. She wanted to cringe.

"I've got plenty of time," said Ash. He poked the tips of his forefingers together. "The rest of the night, if you want."

Serena's heart throbbed. Of course, now that it was too late, he could see that something was wrong and had time to talk about it.

"It's too late," said Serena.

"We've talked later at night than this before," said Ash.

"That's not what I mean."

"I… don't get it."

"I know," said Serena. "I know you don't. It's not your fault. It's mine."

"I still don't get it."

Serena turned to face Ash.

"Look," she said. "Look at me. Do I look okay to you?"

"You're always pretty," said Ash.

"I mean _mentally."_

"Uh…"

"Exactly."

Serena folded her arms even tighter. There was a silence, which Ash broke.

"I, uh, still don't get it," he said.

"I know," said Serena. "It's okay."

"But you said you weren't okay."

"I'm not."

"What's going on?"

"So many things," said Serena. "I'm not sure where to begin."

"What happened after you went inside? You seemed fine then."

"That's the thing," said Serena. "I'm not, and I haven't been for a while, and it's my fault for not being honest sooner."

"Well, you're being honest now, right?"

"Yes, but it's too late. I've already made too many mistakes. I… I can't fix this, Ash."

"Fix what?"

"Everything. I've completely ruined my friendship with Lillie, and probably our relationship, too. Not to mention my friendship with a bunch of other people. I've probably also ended my welcome here at this lab."

"What? How?"

"I've done a lot of really stupid things. Really, really stupid. And it's all my fault."

"What did you do?"

"Well, I've told a lot of lies," said Serena. "I guess that's a start."

"You lied? About what?"

"About what I really wanted."

"What do you mean?"

Serena sighed. She rubbed her forehead. Things were never easy with Ash whenever the situation required him to be less literal.

"I lied to you," she said. "I don't want to go on an adventure in Alola with Lillie. I don't want you to go with her, either."

Serena's face flushed red. It was beyond embarrassment. It was shame.

That was all she ever had to say. The truth. Two sentences. It was nothing. She could have said it at any time, but she waited until now, after everything was broken beyond hope of repair.

It was the dumbest thing she had ever done, and she knew it.

Ash scratched his head.

"Yeah, that's, uh, not what you told me. That's for sure."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm surprised," said Ash. "You seemed, uh, excited about it, you know? And happy. It looked like you wanted to go."

"Exactly," said Serena. "I lied to you."

"You really fooled me, then. I had no idea."

Serena wondered if she was wrong about being a terrible liar, or if Ash was just that dense.

"I know you didn't. I'm sorry I lied to you. I shouldn't have."

"You're telling the truth now, right?"

"Yes."

"Then it's okay," said Ash.

Serena shook her head.

"It's not okay," she said.

Ash tilted his head.

"Huh?" he said. "Why not? I forgive you. I just wanna know why."

"Why I lied?"

"Yeah."

"There's a lot to explain," said Serena. "That's why it's not okay. It _won't_ be okay, once I explain."

"I don't get why you keep talking like that. It's not like you."

Serena scoffed.

"It is _so_ like me."

Ash folded his arms.

"The Serena I know never gives up," he said.

"I didn't give up," said Serena. "That's the whole point. I _should_ have given up a long time ago. On this great big lie, I mean. But no, I can't ever give up. I _had_ to keep going. I _had_ to tough it out until I broke under the stress."

"The Serena I know knows that things can always be fixed."

Serena paused.

"Maybe," she said. "But maybe not. I don't know."

"Well, I know! We can fix this right now."

"I don't think we can. Not this time."

"Why? When things got all messed up last time, you kept going! You never gave up. What changed?"

"I've done some really bad things this time."

"Like what?"

Serena held her breath for a moment.

"Well, to start, I got the money I needed to fly to Kanto and meet you by threatening Aria with blackmail."

Ash's shoulders slackened.

"Oh," he said.

"I fought with my mom, then ran into Palermo and lied to her to get Aria's email address. Then, I emailed Aria and pretty much asked her to send me money or else I would tell about what really happened between the two of us. She sent me a ton of money overnight. I went to Kanto without my mom's permission. Then, when we came here and met Lillie, everything got worse."

"Lillie?" said Ash. "What did she have to do with this?"

"Nothing, really," said Serena. "She didn't do anything. Like I said, it's all my fault. It's all _in my head._ I began to lose my mind when I met her. I've been slowly going insane this whole time."

"You don't sound crazy to me."

"I may as well be. Lillie was completely innocent from the beginning, but I never could trust her, deep down."

"You don't trust her? Why?"

"Because I feel threatened by her. I feel so pathetic next to her! It's like she dropped out of the sky to be a perfect match for you!"

"A _what?"_

"You're the hero! You're the knight in shining armor! She's the damsel in distress! The princess with the tragic past! And you know what that makes me?"

"No."

"The evil stepsister. That's what."

The way Ash looked at her cemented it in her head. Serena knew she had truly gone insane.

"You're not evil!" said Ash.

"Compared to Lillie, I am. Especially after what I've done to her."

"What did you do?"

"I tried to befriend her and only ended up hurting her. To her, it looked like I was a true friend, but the longer it went on, the less I tried to help her and the more I tried to figure out if she was going to try to take you from me."

Ash's eyes narrowed. His whole face wrinkled in confusion.

 _"What?_ Take me from you? There's no way she would do that!"

"She wants to take you on a journey all around Alola!"

"She needs my help!"

Serena clenched her fists. She raised her voice.

"I _know!"_

As loud as they were, Serena's words vanished into the night air like they were nothing at all.

"I know that!" she said. "I know that, but I can't stop thinking that she's going to take you from me! It's driving me insane and I _hate_ it! My brain has been pulling me in a hundred different directions at once since the day we met her. I can't take it anymore!"

"I don't understand," said Ash. "Why are you afraid of her? I'm not going to leave you! I promised."

Serena glared at the ground.

"My dad promised my mom the same thing, once," she said. "I bet your dad promised your mom the same thing, too."

Ash's face tightened. Before he could interject, Serena continued.

"And I mean, really, just _look_ at Lillie," said Serena. "She's perfect. _Too_ perfect. It's like she was placed here just to be your perfect match. And that's the real problem. This whole thing has felt to me like it was set up, like everything we've done was destined to happen and nothing I did could ever change it. From the day we met her, I _knew_ you wouldn't be able to resist the chance to be her hero. And look how that turned out!"

"She needs my help! I help people! That's what I do!"

"You could have helped _me_ by not making me feel inferior to her!"

"How?"

"I- I don't know! You couldn't! I never told you what I was feeling! It's not your fault. It's mine. All mine."

"Serena…"

"I know," said Serena. "I know how dumb this all is. How crazy it all sounds."

"Why would you think I would leave you for Lillie?"

"You mean aside from the _very_ personal reason I just gave you?" said Serena. " _And_ the fact that it feels like she was made for you? How about this? She's prettier than me, nicer than me, smarter than me, more honest than me. You know, just better than me in basically _every way."_

"She is _not_ better than you!"

"It _feels_ like she is! Do you know what all my efforts to overcome my paranoia and actually befriend her taught me? My problems are _nothing_ compared to hers! She has lived a _way_ worse life than me but still sees the best in people. I have everything I ever wanted and all I've done is worry and complain about nothing, and blame her for all my problems when she's completely innocent. What am I compared to her?"

Ash stared at her. He blinked a few times.

"You're Serena."

Serena looked away, clenching both her fists and her jaw. She never expected tears to come on so quickly. She bitterly fought back against them. She shook from the effort.

Her silence gave her plenty of time to listen.

"I don't want Lillie," said Ash. "I want you. I want the girl in the straw hat, not the girl in the giant, floppy white one. I want the girl who came back to find me after all those years because she cared about me, not the girl I just met who asked me to travel with her because she needs my help. I want my best friend, not my newest one. Don't you see that?"

Serena shut her eyes. She was not going to cry. She was not going to make a sound. Not now.

"I want the girl who showed _me_ how to never give up," said Ash. "I'm not going to let you give up. No matter what it is, we can fix it if we try. I told you that first, but you _showed_ me what that means. And right now, I'll be the one to show you, if that's what it takes."

With her eyes still closed, Serena shook her head.

"I mean it," said Ash.

Serena opened her eyes again.

"It's not so simple, Ash."

Ash met eyes with her. The look in his eyes broke Serena's heart. He looked desperate.

"Why?" he said.

"Because I betrayed Lillie's trust. I destroyed her most valuable possession and violated her privacy, all because I couldn't own up to this mess I've made."

"Huh?"

"I broke into her diary."

Ash went silent.

"I broke open the lock, and I read it. That's why she's inside crying her eyes out right now."

Ash looked at the lab's nearest window, then back at her. Cutiefly sat on the windowsill, pecking at it like mad.

"And I did it because I never give up," said Serena. "I refused to give up on my web of lies, and I ruined everything in the process. So, maybe it's time to give up, for once. What do you think?"

"Serena-"

"I've been fighting the whole time I've been here. Against fate, I guess. I wanted to control my own destiny, for once. I've spent my whole life following others. Just when it looks like I'm going to get a chance to take charge, what happens? I get dropped into _someone else's_ story, that's what."

"Story?"

"It's a metaphor, Ash."

"A what?"

Serena grimaced. She took a deep breath, trying not to snap at him.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "The point is that I wanted to feel like I was in charge for once, but instead, Lillie came along and took over our lives."

Ash held up his hands. He shrugged, shaking his head.

"She didn't do that," he said.

"I _know._ That's what makes this so frustrating. I know it's all in my head, but that doesn't make it any less real to me!"

Ash looked like he wasn't sure what to say.

"If it's all in your head, then can't we, uh, make things better in your head?" he said.

"I wish," said Serena. "It doesn't work like that, though. Not in my head, anyway."

Ash folded his arms. He thought for a moment.

"I dunno what to do," he said. "You make it sound so hopeless!"

"It _is_ hopeless."

"Nothing is ever hopeless!"

"Ash."

"I mean it!"

"I do, too."

"I-"

Ash abruptly shut his mouth, then looked back toward the lab. Cutiefly was attempting to wriggle beneath one of the windows.

"I'm going to get Lillie _right now_ so we can all talk this out," said Ash.

"Don't."

"I'm going."

 _"Ash!"_

Ash had already begun to turn away, but Serena's piercing shout stopped him in his tracks. Pikachu tugged at his leg and pointed back at Serena. Ash turned around.

Serena stared at him. Her face was pulled in so many directions by so many different emotions that she wasn't sure what she looked like. She figured it probably made no sense at all. Fitting, if so.

"It's not _you_ who needs to go," she said.

"Do you wanna go get her?" said Ash.

Serena shook her head.

"No, I don't," she said.

"Then I need to go get her."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"Huh?"

"I need to _go._ I need to _leave."_

"Leave?"

"Yes."

"What do you mean?"

"I need to be somewhere else," said Serena. "Somewhere not here. Anywhere else, as long as it's not here."

A horrible realization crept its way up Ash's face.

"Do you mean…"

"I mean here. This lab. This island. Alola. With Lillie. Even… with you."

"Are you-"

"I'm leaving."

"No!"

 _"Yes._ I'm leaving."

"But-"

"Don't," Serena said, holding up a hand to silence Ash. "I've made up my mind. It feels like it's the right thing to do. It may be the only thing I can do, honestly."

"That's not true!"

"I've burned too many bridges. I can't fix this."

"Maybe you can't, but _we_ can!"

Serena did a poor job of hiding the look of disgust on her face.

"That's kind of my point," she said. "I want to live my own life. I don't want to have to rely on others to fix my problems. I've been doing that for way too long. That, and just hoping that things would fix themselves. I can't do that anymore. _That_ would be giving up."

"So is leaving!"

"Maybe," said Serena. "Not as I see it, though. Remember what I said to you at Siebold's café about not wanting to be a showcase performer anymore? It's the same idea. I'm not _giving up._ I'm going out on my own terms."

"It's not the same!"

"It really is."

"No, it's not!"

"Please. Let's not fight about this. I don't want to fight anymore, you least of all."

"I don't wanna fight you, either!" said Ash. "I wanna fight all these problems! I know that we can win if we work together!"

"I don't want to fight them, either," said Serena. "I've been fighting them this whole time. I just never said anything. And now, I'm tired. I'm tired of fighting. I fought, and I lost. It's time for me to go. It's the right thing to do."

"No, it's not!" said Ash. "Why do you think that?"

"Because I've made a ton of mistakes, and I've hurt an innocent person really badly. Maybe leaving is another mistake, but at least if I leave, I can't make any more mistakes that will hurt Lillie. Or you."

"Why won't you just _try_ to work this all out?" said Ash.

"Because I've _been_ trying this whole time! It didn't work! It only made things worse!"

"But you haven't tried with me! Together!"

"I don't want to try together! This isn't about _us._ It's about _me._ Everything that's going on here is so much bigger than me. I didn't realize that until tonight, but-"

Serena winced.

"What Lillie told me, and what her diary said… it made it perfectly clear that I need to stay out of this."

"Why?"

"Because a whole lot more than a friendship depends on her success."

"What?"

"You'll find out. Eventually."

Ash went quiet. He stared at Serena. Serena hung her head. There wasn't much more to be said.

She took a deep breath.

"It's time," she said, looking up at him again.

"Time for what?"

"Time for me to go."

"Go where?"

"I don't know."

"Are you really leaving?"

"Yes."

"But you can't!"

Serena's eyes narrowed.

"Don't tell me what to do," she said. "I've made my choice. I know this is right for me."

"But what about _us?"_

There was a long pause. Several seconds passed. In the distance, a wave broke on the shore, then receded.

Serena shook her head.

"I don't know," she said. _"We're_ not the problem. I am. That's why I need to leave."

"Then I'm going with you."

Serena shook her head again.

"No," she said. "You need to stay. Lillie needs your help."

"But isn't that the problem?"

"Yes, but not in the way you think it is. Trust me, Lillie needs you right now more than I do."

"Serena…"

"I waited for you for years. I never gave up hope. And for _you,_ I never will. What difference does a little while longer make? We still have forever, don't we?"

Serena wasn't sure if she believed her own words. Only a few weeks ago, when this all began, forever meant nothing. It was nothing compared to a few days. This all happened, every single bad decision made and lie told, all because she couldn't wait just a little while longer.

"Don't go," said Ash. "I won't let you."

"Don't say that," said Serena.

"You can't solve problems by running away from them!"

"I can't solve this one. You can, though."

Ash stood there, mouth hanging open, staring. Serena wondered what she should do. She felt like a kiss would be inappropriate, no matter how much she wanted it. Any physical contact at all felt like a terrible idea. At best, it would send the wrong message. At worst, she would completely lose control of herself and do something very, very stupid. She had done enough stupid things already.

She thought about her position some more. She already had her bag with her. All of her belongings were on her person. The only farewell she needed to say was the one she was in the middle of saying. It wasn't much of a hike to the nearest Pokémon Center. She could stay there overnight and figure out her next move.

There was only one thing left to do.

Serena looked Ash in the eyes. She sighed. A bittersweet smile formed on her lips.

"Well…" she said. "This isn't goodbye. But it's bye for now."

Ash said nothing. He stared, frozen to the spot.

Serena stepped forward. She waved.

"Bye, Ash."

She tore her eyes away from him and stepped past him. Her steps were rigid at first but then became faster and more fluid as she passed the lab. There was no turning back, not even for one last look. She couldn't risk it. She had to keep up her resolve. As hard as it was to keep going, each step was one more in the right direction.

But then, she heard someone else's footsteps. There was a flash of light and the unmistakable sound of a Poké Ball opening.

"Rowlet, Leafage!"

In an instant, a rustling wall of leaves appeared out of nowhere, blocking Serena's way. Her eyes shot open wide as she skidded to a halt.

Just as quickly, something snapped. Serena's entire body clenched. She shook. Her lips pulled back, exposing her gritted teeth.

Behind her, the footsteps stopped. Without turning around, Serena spoke. Her voice was low, and it trembled.

"After everything I just said?"

There were a few seconds of silence. Serena tried to take a deep breath. It was impossible. Her body refused to cooperate. Rigid, she slowly turned around.

Her eyes focused on Ash's clueless face.

 _"After everything I just said?!"_

Serena's throat burned from how loudly she screamed at him. She shook like her body was enduring an earthquake as the words roared from her lungs.

Ash recoiled. Pikachu backed away a step. In the air beside them, Rowlet backed away a few feet.

Serena jammed her hand into her bag and pulled out a Poké Ball of her own.

"Braixen, Flamethrower!"

There was one flash of light, followed by another. First, Braixen emerged from her Poké Ball. Then, as commanded, she pulled her wand from her tail and fired a jet of flame from it.

The attack hit Rowlet directly. When the flames faded, Rowlet fell to the ground.

Ash ran over to Rowlet. He looked horrified.

"Rowlet! Are you okay?"

He knelt down and scooped Rowlet up in his arms. Even in the dark and from a distance, Serena knew that Rowlet was down for the count. Between the type advantage and the power gap, Rowlet never stood a chance.

Pikachu stood between Braixen and Ash. He looked stunned.

Slowly, Braixen lowered her wand. For a few seconds, she stared at Pikachu, and what she had done to Rowlet. Then, she turned her head and looked back at Serena.

Serena's heart broke. Braixen said nothing, but her eyes said everything.

 _Why?_

Serena swallowed. She tried again to steady her breathing. It was no use. She tore her eyes away from Braixen and looked at Ash instead.

Ash looked back at her. His eyes asked the same question as Braixen's.

Serena's anger came spilling out of her mouth again.

"After everything I said, you _attack_ me? You try to stop me from leaving _by force?_ I told you I wanted to make my own decisions! I told you I didn't want to fight!"

Ash tapped a Poké Ball against Rowlet's beak. Rowlet vanished inside of it, and Ash clipped the ball back onto his belt.

"I told you I wasn't going to let you leave!" he said. "Running away won't help!"

"You don't understand! You don't know what it's like to be inside my head! I need to escape from this! Removing myself from this mess is the only thing I can do to help now!"

"That's not true!"

"Yes, it is!"

"It's never too late to fix things!"

 _"Yes,_ it is!"

"We're going to fix this together."

"You don't get to decide that! I am _not_ going to be told how to live my life. I will _not_ just let you and everyone else push me around and handle everything for me. I don't want to fight, but if I have to fight you for my freedom, I will!"

Braixen looked at Pikachu. The two of them both appeared unnerved by the exchange of words taking place.

Braixen looked back at Serena again. Serena held out Braixen's ball and activated it. Braixen disappeared inside it.

"Let me go, Ash," said Serena. "Just let me do this. I don't want to fight. Don't make this any harder than it already is!"

"Please, just come with me," said Ash. He took a tentative step forward. "Let's talk to Lillie together. What do you have to lose?"

"My freedom. My life. Everything."

Ash stepped past Pikachu.

"Please, Serena. Don't go. Let's give it one more shot, together."

Serena remained still, following Ash with her eyes.

"Stop," she said.

"Serena, please."

Ash came closer still. Serena backed away a step.

"Don't touch me!"

Ash came within arm's reach. Serena scrambled backward, reaching into her bag again.

"Pancham, Arm Thrust!"

In a flash of light, Pancham emerged from the ball, ready to strike.

Just as quickly, Ash dropped to the ground and ducked.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!"

Pikachu leaped into the air, and his tail turned to metal. A moment later, he and Pancham collided in midair, their blows each countering the other.

After a brief struggle, the two of them landed opposite each other on the sand.

Serena backed away a few more steps before stopping. She glared at Ash, trying to pierce him with her eyes while he rose to his feet again. For a moment, Ash was slow to get up, and Serena hoped that the sheer force of her glare alone would keep him pinned to the ground. But of course, it was not, and Ash rose to his feet.

Ash stared back at her. His face was not nearly as fierce, nor as cold. His eyes continued to plead with her, but there was something more inside them now. Serena recognized it all too well. It was the look Ash always had when he was itching for a battle.

If it was a battle he wanted, Serena was determined not to simply give it to him. He was going to have to come and take it. No matter what, she was not going to make the next move, even if meant their standoff would last all night. She was not even going to speak unless Ash spoke first.

And he did.

"I don't get it," said Ash. "You said you kept all this stuff a secret, and that you made a lot of mistakes. Now, you tell me about it, and I wanna help, but you won't accept my help?"

"I don't want your help."

"Why won't you at least let me try?"

"Because I want to do this on my own!"

"But you _need_ help!" said Ash.

"No, I don't!"

"Helping people is what I do! It's what _friends_ do for each other!"

"Exactly!" said Serena. "We're not _just_ friends anymore! Do you understand that? There's more to this than simply being friends who kiss sometimes!"

"I've been trying my best, but this is all still really new to me, you know?"

"It's new to me, too, but apparently I'm the only one of us who got the memo that even though we've become more than friends, we don't get to control each other's lives!"

"I haven't been trying to do that."

"You're trying to do that right now!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Then what do you call this?"

"I'm trying to help you see that this isn't over! It's not hopeless! There's no reason to give up!"

"I've been trying to make _you_ see that this is bigger than you, me, or even _us._ The only thing I know to do is to remove myself from the situation! I've told you that I've been going crazy for a chance to make my own decisions and to do something all on my own, but here you are, stopping me, like you haven't understood a word I've said!"

"I've understood what you've said," said Ash. "I just think you're making the wrong choice!"

Serena's lips tightened. She let out a long breath through her nose. When she spoke, her voice came out in a dangerously calm tone.

"I don't care if you're my best friend, or my boyfriend, or even my mother," said Serena. "You don't get to make that choice for me, and you don't get to tell me what to do. I have thought about this _way_ more than you have, Ash. I love you, and I want this relationship to last, but I will not let you stand in the way of me taking control of my life. The only way you're stopping me is by force."

Ash did not respond. He only blinked a few times while he stared.

"So, you have a choice," said Serena. "Stop me, or let me go. The choice is yours."

Ash looked at the ground. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out before he closed it again.

"Make a choice," said Serena. "It's now or never."

Ash looked up at her, meeting her eyes. He spoke again. His voice was quiet.

"Please don't make me do this," he said.

Serena wanted to ask him what he meant, but for some reason, she couldn't find the words.

What did he mean? Did he not want to choose? Was there a particular choice he did not want to make? She assumed it was the latter. It was the only way it made sense to her. Ash was not usually an indecisive person. Maybe this was an exception, but Serena was certain that Ash would much rather battle her than stand by and watch her leave, even though he knew that letting her go was the right thing to do.

She couldn't blame him for feeling that way. Doing the right thing was hard.

Maybe she could make it easier for him. All it would take was one more lie. One more little white lie, for his sake.

She could let him take the easy way out. All she had to do was win.

"Pancham, Dark Pulse!"

Pancham, as well as both Ash and Pikachu, twitched in surprise at Serena's command. Regardless, Pancham complied. Before Ash could make a command of his own, and before Pikachu could dodge, Pancham fired the Dark Pulse at point-blank range. Pikachu braced himself and took a direct hit, skidding backward in the sand.

Ash disappeared for a moment behind a cloud of dust. When the dust dissipated, Serena saw him standing there with his fists clenched, the uncertainty in his eyes replaced with grim determination.

It was silent for a moment. Then, Ash reached up for his hat, pulled it from his head, and tossed it aside in the sand.

"Pikachu…" he said.

Serena clenched her teeth and swallowed. This was it. No turning back.

"Quick Attack!"

"Dodge!"

Telling Pancham to dodge Pikachu's Quick Attack was like telling Pancham to stop the sun from rising. Pikachu streaked across the sand as a white blur and rammed shoulder-first into Pancham.

Pancham went rolling. He flipped over several times before digging his fists into the sand to stop himself. By then, Ash was already calling another attack.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Stone Edge! Block it!"

With his fists already buried in the sand, Pancham had plenty of time to form a jagged stone pillar and make it shoot up from the ground, right in front of him. Pikachu's Thunderbolt hit it. The pillar absorbed the attack, then shattered.

"Electro Ball!"

"Dark Pulse!"

Pikachu's attack was faster. The Electro Ball was already on its way when Pancham fired the Dark Pulse. The two attacks met in midair, but much closer to Pancham than to Pikachu. Once again, dust kicked up everywhere. This time, Pancham was shrouded in it.

Serena saw an opportunity to use the cover to her advantage, but she faltered. Pancham was the wrong Pokémon to take advantage of the situation. But then, she had a crazy idea.

"Dark Pulse, on the ground! Now!"

Pancham pointed at the ground and fired. More sand kicked up everywhere. As quickly as she could, Serena jammed both hands into her bag and pulled out two Poké Balls.

And then, she issued an unexpected command.

"Moonblast!"

Serena wasn't sure it was legal, technically. The switch was so hasty that for a split-second, both Pancham and Sylveon were on the battlefield. It was the kind of thing that she had heard stories of trainers being disqualified from league matches for attempting.

But this was not a sanctioned match.

So, in a flash, Sylveon emerged into the dust cloud, glowing. Where Pancham had risen into the air from the impact a moment before, there was now a brilliant, shimmering ball of energy, casting everything in pale light and thin shadow.

And for just a moment, Ash didn't know what to do. That was what mattered.

The dust in the air thinned. Sylveon fired.

"Electro Ball!"

Pikachu leaped into the air, flipped over, and fired the ball from his tail. The two attacks collided. Both Serena and Ash were already calling their next moves.

"Swift!"

"Quick Attack!"

Sylveon flung a shower of stars from her feelers. Pikachu ducked and weaved through the attack, attempting to dodge them all.

Serena knew what Ash was attempting. She was not going to be fooled.

"Protect!"

"Iron Tail!"

It was nothing more than a maneuver to get Pikachu in position to strike. Serena knew it. She had seen him use Quick Attack for that exact purpose so many times. By the time Pikachu broke through the field of Swift stars with his tail aglow, Sylveon was already wrapped in a shield of light.

Serena hoped to see Ash hesitate, caught off-guard again by her accurate anticipation of his strategy. But Ash did not hesitate, nor did Pikachu. Without any reaction from either of them, Pikachu's Iron Tail bounced harmlessly off of Sylveon's shield.

The shield vanished, and Pikachu landed right in front of Sylveon. His tail continued to glow.

As Ash called another attack, Serena understood how much of a fool she was.

"Iron Tail, again!"

Pikachu spun and sideswiped Sylveon, landing a direct hit on her face. Sylveon's feet all left the ground from the force of the hit. She went flying, landing on the ground several feet away.

Serena had thought it was a clever plan. She had thought she was one step ahead of Ash, using her knowledge of his strategies against him. What she had not anticipated was Ash expecting her to do it.

The little shred of pride she felt from Ash's apparent respect of her abilities was crushed by the weight of how stupid she felt for not realizing what Ash clearly knew all along. It didn't matter if Sylveon blocked the attack. She had no way to exploit Pikachu being stuck in that position. She had no moves that posed a threat at such close range.

Pikachu was on the move again.

"Electro Ball!"

"Protect!"

Serena knew it was a long shot, but it was the only shot she had. There was no way Sylveon could withstand another hit like that.

Sylveon rose to her feet. Once again, she wrapped herself in a shield of light.

Pikachu flipped over in midair. He flung the Electro Ball from the tip of his tail.

Serena held her breath. The shield had to hold. It had to. She needed the time to think.

The Electro Ball made impact. It scattered across the surface of the shield, eating it away. As soon as she knew Protect had worked, Serena called her move.

"Moonblast!"

And so did Ash.

"Thunderbolt!"

For an instant, Serena had hopes of Moonblast countering Thunderbolt and giving her another chance to think of something effective, anything at all.

Her hopes were dashed when Pikachu jumped high into the air, launching himself with his tail. He soared above the sphere of energy Sylveon was charging, with his cheeks sparking.

Serena reached for her bag. It was already too late.

Pikachu fired the Thunderbolt straight down through the charging blast. There was a blinding flash of light. The Thunderbolt pierced the heart of Sylveon's Moonblast, bringing the combined energy of both attacks crashing down on her.

Serena shut her eyes. She did not want to look. She opened them again only when the light had faded.

Sylveon lay in the sand, completely limp, collapsed in a heap. She did not move.

Pikachu stood in front of Sylveon. He did not look pleased with himself. He looked concerned. He leaned over and placed a hand on Sylveon's forehead. Serena assumed it was an apology.

Serena looked at Ash. He did not look pleased, either. He looked disgusted with himself.

Serena pulled Sylveon's ball out of her bag. She activated it, and Sylveon vanished inside it. Pikachu stood alone on the battlefield.

Ash spoke.

"I didn't want to do this," he said. "You said you didn't, either!"

"I thought you did!" said Serena.

"No," said Ash. "I never said I did. But you said you didn't! Why did you attack?"

"Why did _you_ attack _me?"_ said Serena. "You started this! You had Rowlet use Leafage to stop me!"

"You told me to make a choice, and then you made it for me!"

"I thought you didn't want to just let me leave. I thought it would be easier for you to battle me instead."

"I didn't want to let you leave, but I didn't want to do this, either," said Ash. "You _made_ me do this."

Serena went quiet. She wasn't sure what to say.

Ash spoke again.

"I don't want to fight you, either, you know," he said. "Not for real. I didn't want to do it in Monego City. I _really_ don't want to do it right now."

"Then _let me go."_

"Are you going to just walk away?" said Ash. "I don't buy it. I know you. I don't know why you're running away from fixing things with me and Lillie, but I know you don't run from a challenge. You don't give up."

Serena bit her tongue. She looked at her feet.

"I don't get how leaving doesn't count as giving up on things here, but whatever," said Ash. "If that's what you believe, then fine. I believe you, too. You're not giving up. I know you won't give up on this battle, either. It's just not who you are."

Ash held a hand against the back of his neck. He sighed.

"Honestly, I wish you _would_ give up on this battle," he said.

Serena looked up at him again.

"Seriously?" she said. "After everything you've said?"

Ash shook his head.

"This is different," he said.

"How?"

"If we really battle, you can't beat me. You're just going to get your Pokémon hurt."

A nerve twitched in Serena's brow. She folded her arms.

"Oh?" she said. "So is that an admission that some things really are hopeless after all?"

Ash made a strained face. He shrugged.

"Maybe?" he said.

Serena tightened her arms.

"I'm not weak," she said. "You've even told me how strong I am. I've seen you pull victories out of nowhere more times than I can count. What makes you think this particular battle is so hopeless?"

"Because both of us are going to lose."

Serena's face went slack in surprise for a moment, but then quickly formed into a grimace.

"If I'm going to lose, then it's going to be on my own terms," she said. "You're right. I'm not walking away from this. You will not stop me without a fight."

Ash closed his eyes. He drew his lips into a thin line.

Serena reached into her bag again. She pulled out another ball.

"Pancham," she said.

Pancham appeared on the battlefield again. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Pikachu.

Pikachu's shoulders slumped. He looked back at Ash, then past Pancham, right at Serena. Serena closed her eyes, tightened her fists, and tried to breathe.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Pancham, this is for real."

Pikachu tried to protest. He was ignored.

As he did on the beach in Monego City, Pancham spat out his leaf and tossed aside his sunglasses.

Pained as he spoke, Ash raised his hand and gave a command.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack," he said.

There was no excitement in his voice. It was nothing more than a flat, bored order. Serena struggled to do any better.

"Dodge," she said.

Pancham rolled out of the way. Pikachu did not stop. When he reached the spot where Pancham should have been, he sharply turned and continued after him.

Pancham rose to his feet and braced for impact.

"Arm Thrust!" said Serena.

Pancham stuck out his arms and met Pikachu's attack head-on. Pikachu pushed him back, his heels digging into the sand as he went sliding several feet backward.

"Iron Tail! Into the air!"

It was not a strong hit. Serena knew it was never intended to be. Pikachu drove his metallic tail down on Pancham's head. Pancham was more annoyed than hurt, almost pushing Pikachu's blow aside. Inflicting damage was never the point, though. Pikachu used Pancham as a springboard, launching himself into the air.

Serena knew what was coming next. She called her counterattack before Ash even spoke.

"Stone Edge!"

"Thunderbolt!"

Pancham dug his fists into the sand. A moment later, a stone pillar erupted from the ground in front of him, another impromptu lightning rod to take the attack.

Serena was already thinking one step ahead.

"Dark Pulse!"

One step ahead was not enough.

"Electro Ball!"

"Stone Edge!"

Two steps were not enough, either.

"Iron Tail!"

Serena hesitated. There was no way Pancham would understand her if she called any more attacks at the moment. They had never practiced it. All she could do was watch.

Pikachu's Thunderbolt hit the pillar from Pancham's Stone Edge. Much like last time, the pillar cracked, then crumbled. As the bits and pieces of it fell away and scattered into the wind, Pancham fired his Dark Pulse through the field of debris. On the other side, his Dark Pulse met Pikachu's Electro Ball. The two attacks collided and exploded.

Again, Pancham dug his fists into the sand and created another jagged stone pillar. This time, before he was finished forming it, Pikachu swung his metallic tail and cleaved it right in two. Pancham was left standing there with nothing in between the two of them, looking stunned.

"Quick Attack!"

Serena bit her lip. It was now or never.

"Payback!" she called.

Pancham braced himself. He grit his teeth and growled as Pikachu rammed into him and sent him skidding.

For a moment, it looked like whether or not Pancham managed to remain on his feet would determine the outcome of the battle. But then, as the two of them came to a halt, Pancham glowed with violet energy.

A black aura wrapped around Pancham's fist. He prepared to swing.

Serena held her breath. She could feel the power even from where she stood. The aura was almost painful to the eyes. It was going to be a devastating blow.

But then, Pancham swung. His fist did not connect with anything but air.

Without a word from Ash, Pikachu dropped to the ground, ducked beneath Pancham's attack, and spun around. Pancham went tumbling as Pikachu swept his feet out from under him with his tail.

"Electro Ball!"

Pikachu flipped over in midair right in front of Pancham. Almost in direct contact, he sent a ball of crackling electricity crashing down on Pancham's head. Serena watched in horror as the electricity rippled through Pancham's body, making him shake and spasm starting with the head, and spreading down all the way to his toes.

Pikachu leaped through the air and dashed away like a blur. A few seconds later, Pancham toppled over backward, smoking.

Aside from involuntary twitches, Pancham did not move. Serena returned him to his ball in silence. On the other side of the battlefield, Ash had a frustrated look on his face, and his hands were jammed into his pockets.

He was not looking at Serena. For some reason, that aggravated Serena more than anything.

 _"What,"_ she said. It wasn't a question. It was more of a plaintive demand.

"It was never gonna work," said Ash.

"Excuse me?"

"Pancham's new move," said Ash. "I was there when Professor Kukui taught him how to use it. So was Pikachu. We knew about it."

Serena's jaw tightened. There was more to that story. She was more than capable of filling in the missing pieces on her own.

Ash and Pikachu had helped teach Pancham that move. All that sparring practice? It was obvious now. Pikachu had probably learned that counterattack in the process.

And where had she been during all this? Watching from the sidelines, at best. It was just like with Braixen. She hadn't been there. She hadn't even tried. She was no help at all.

Pancham probably could have come up with a better use for the attack all on his own, Serena figured. She probably held him back. She probably held _all_ of her Pokémon back.

She felt the weight of that realization as she gripped Braixen's Poké Ball in her hand. It felt heavier than usual.

She said nothing as she threw the ball and Braixen appeared on the battlefield. Braixen was equally silent. She did nothing but ignite her wand.

Ash crossed his arms. He looked disgusted.

"Thunderbolt!" he said.

"Hidden Power!"

Pikachu's cheeks sparked, and he sent an arc of lightning streaking over the field, right at Braixen. Braixen raised her wand, formed a blue sphere of energy on the end of it, and sent it to intercept Pikachu's attack.

The two attacks collided and dissipated. Pikachu was already on the move.

"Quick Attack!"

"Flamethrower!"

Pikachu seemed to move faster than ever. Braixen followed his movements with a stream of fire. She could not keep up with him. Serena saw the distance between Braixen's Flamethrower and Pikachu's feet growing greater and greater.

Then, Pikachu disappeared. Braixen halted her attack.

"Behind you!" Serena shouted.

Braixen spun around. There was a blast of fire already formed in her mouth when she caught sight of Pikachu. It was still too late. Pikachu rammed directly into her stomach, driving his shoulder into her. The blast fizzled out as she gagged and staggered away.

"Electro Ball!"

"Fire Blast!"

Despite needing to steady herself on her feet, Braixen complied. Fangs bared, fire leaking out from the gaps between them, Braixen glared at Pikachu and pointed her wand at him. Pikachu flipped over in the air and flung the Electro Ball at her.

Braixen fired the Fire Blast. Serena hurried to shut her eyes. Even from a distance, the heat seared her eyes. There was a violent sizzling sound as the two attacks collided. Against her better judgment, Serena peeled one eye open to look.

Across the field, she saw Ash shielding his eyes, too. The tension in her jaw loosened, and her lips parted. She had never seen such a powerful attack from Braixen before. Her Fire Blast overpowered and devoured the Electro Ball. Pikachu had thrown himself to the ground to duck for cover.

The five-pointed blast of flame billowed into the empty night sky and evaporated into dancing tongues of flame. Serena had no time to admire the fireworks.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Flamethrower!"

Braixen's breaths were ragged as she charged her attack. Serena wondered just how much energy Braixen had put into it. Had it been everything she had? Was it out of frustration?

Pikachu's Thunderbolt rocketed across the battlefield. Braixen's Flamethrower did the same.

This time, Pikachu had the stronger attack. The Thunderbolt cut through the Flamethrower like it was nothing but hot air, and it connected with the tip of Braixen's wand.

There was a sizzling sound, and Braixen howled. She dropped her wand. She backed away, the hand in which she typically held her wand visibly singed and smoking.

Before she backed away another step, she picked up her wand with her other hand. Trembling, she held her injured hand close to her side, trying to protect it.

"Braixen!" said Serena.

Braixen looked back at Serena. Her eyes were fierce. Heat radiated from her. Serena wanted to say more, but she couldn't find the words.

"Serena!"

Ash interrupted her train of thought. Serena looked at him. He held out his hands like he was begging.

"Do you see what I mean?" he said. "This is why we can't have a real battle!"

"I am _not_ weak, and neither are my Pokémon!"

"That's not what I mean!" said Ash. "It doesn't matter who's stronger! If we fight like this, we both hurt each other! Everyone gets hurt! I don't want to hurt you or your Pokémon!"

"That excuse wasn't good enough the last time we battled, and it isn't good enough now!" said Serena. "Since when did you care so much about Pokémon getting hurt? I've seen every one of your Pokémon beaten within an inch of their lives! Where did this come from? Who do you think you are? _Lillie?"_

"Serena!"

"Don't even start with me!"

"But-"

"Stop! Just stop. Let me go."

"I'm not going to just give up like that!"

"Then what are we supposed to do? Either one of us has to give up, or this is going to continue! What matters more to you? Our promise, or your ridiculous fears about hurting me?"

Ash tightened his lips. He looked away.

"I told you once before, and I'll tell you again," said Serena. "The easiest way for you to hurt me is to refuse to be the _real_ you with me. I want _all_ of you, Ash. I want your real strength. Your real feelings. Avoiding that has only made everything worse. Look at where we are now! Look at what we've done!"

Braixen sank to one knee, clutching her injured hand. Pikachu took a tentative step toward her, but then seemed to think better of it and backed off.

"None of this had to happen!" said Serena. "All of it happened because I wasn't honest, and because I didn't trust you. And now that it matters more than ever, you're not giving me any reason to trust you! You still won't let me see the _real_ you!"

Ash continued to look away, silent.

"That's the whole problem!" said Serena. "I think I know the real you, but only through the bits and pieces of what you show me! So, you're the perfect hero, but you're also never honest with your emotions. You can't even be honest about your emotions with your Pokémon! They give you everything they have, and you just leave them behind again and again and replace them! How could I not fear that you would leave me for the obvious, easy match that Lillie provides you? This - our relationship - is hard. Being a hero is easy, for you."

Ash spoke, quietly.

"I want to be _your_ hero," he said.

"I don't _need_ a hero right now!" said Serena. "That's the point! I'm trying to take control of my life and own up to my mistakes, and you're trying to stop me so that you can fix it for me! I don't want that! If you really want to be my hero, you would support what I'm trying to do! You _were_ once, but you're not my knight in shining armor anymore. You're my _boyfriend_. I need you to understand that!"

"I'm trying," said Ash. "I really am."

"Then support me. Let me make my own decision. Let me go."

Ash looked at her, his eyes heavy, staring for a moment longer than she wanted. By the time he spoke, Serena knew he wasn't going to say what she wanted to hear.

"A promise is a promise," said Ash. "I'm not giving up until the end, no matter what."

Serena hated it, but neither her mind nor her body could contain it anymore. The frustration came pouring out. Tears pooled in her eyes before she could draw another breath, nor even blink. She clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white as she tried to hold it back. She shook as she spoke.

 _"Ash…"_

Ash hung his head, shaking it.

"Let's end this, Pikachu. Quick Attack."

Pikachu's ears twitched. He looked surprised to receive an order. He hesitated for a moment before moving.

Serena had almost no time to react.

"Braixen!"

Pikachu turned into a white blur, and he dashed across the sand like a streak of light. Braixen, not even on her feet again, went reeling, knocked flat on her back.

Pikachu circled around, landed in front of Braixen, and prepared to strike again.

Braixen dug her wand into the ground for support and pulled herself upright. She rose to one knee, shaking as she tried to stand.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Serena said nothing. There was nothing she could do. There was not any move Braixen knew, nor any technique they had ever practiced together, that could prevent the inevitable now.

It was over. She failed.

Pikachu's cheeks sparked. The end was only a moment away.

But then, Braixen found her balance. She rose to her feet, snapping rigidly upright. She eyed Pikachu from the side, her eyes as fierce as anything Serena had ever seen.

And then, Braixen put one foot forward, aimed her wand at Pikachu, and glared at him down the length of her arm. She growled.

"Braixen?"

Serena didn't know what to think. Neither did Pikachu. His cheeks stopped sparking. He looked all around like he felt something crawling on him.

Braixen opened her mouth. Her growl turned into a piercing shriek. Her voice echoed through the empty night. For just a moment, Serena could have sworn she felt the ground shake.

And then, an indigo aura appeared around Pikachu.

Pikachu flailed as his feet left the ground. Braixen's piercing cry continued. Her eyes went bloodshot, her entire body seeming to sink from the immense strain of the effort. Her voice crescendoed into a scream.

Pikachu froze in midair, his movement arrested. Braixen began to glow a brilliant white. Serena gasped. She knew what was happening, yet she could not believe her eyes.

Braixen's cry became deeper. Her form grew. Her back hunched as she changed shape. She sank to her knees again as all of her limbs became suddenly and awkwardly larger. All the while, her roar continued, and her wand remained pointed at Pikachu, suspended in the air. Stunned, unable to move anything but his eyes, all Pikachu could do was watch the transformation. Serena's heart pounded as she held her breath.

The cry diminished. It became a low growl again, and the light faded.

The figure in front of Serena stood, Braixen no more.

Delphox rose to her full height. She kept her wand focused on Pikachu, who gave up struggling. She looked at her other, previously injured hand. She flexed it a few times. It looked no worse for the wear.

She looked at Pikachu. The indigo aura around him flared, and she flung him like a ragdoll, sending him crashing into the sand.

Delphox looked back at Serena. It was barely noticeable, but the corner of her mouth turned upward into a smile. Or perhaps a smirk.

A tear fell from Serena's face. She felt it wet the fabric of her shirt.

"Braixen, you're…"

She looked Delphox up and down. She was magnificent. Proud. Majestic. Powerful.

"...not Braixen anymore, are you?"

Delphox slowly nodded, then turned back toward the battle.

Pikachu rose to his feet. He rubbed his head, massaging a sore spot. He was scuffed all over, his fur ragged. He shook sand out of his ears.

"Wow…" said Ash.

Serena could not speak. There was nothing to say. Delphox had overcome everything, without her.

And without her command, Delphox moved. She swept her arm in a wide circle, drawing a wreath of flame in the air with her wand. She launched it, effortlessly, like it was as simple as taking a breath.

The wreath of fire shrank as it approached Pikachu. Pikachu made no attempt to dodge it. The center of it closed, and it collided with him.

Serena had seen the technique before. Aria's Delphox used it. Mystical Fire.

Pikachu grunted as he weathered the attack. Ash gave no orders, as if frozen in time. Delphox, meanwhile, looked almost uninterested in the battle. She airily waved her wand back and forth, conjuring flames in all manner of shapes, as if mildly amused by her newfound power.

When Pikachu rose to his feet again, Delphox came back to reality. She ended her fiery daydream, the shapes she traced in the air abruptly snuffing out of existence in a puff of smoke.

And then, with a twirl of her wand and a flourish, without moving from the spot, she launched a Flamethrower at Pikachu.

Serena shielded her face. It didn't even look like Delphox was trying, yet it was easily the strongest attack she had ever fired.

When she uncovered her face, Pikachu was staggering away, smoking. He collapsed at Ash's feet. A black, charred trail of glass separated him from Delphox, spanning the distance between them across the sand.

"Pikachu…" said Ash. "Wow. Good effort, buddy. You take it easy now, okay?"

Pikachu muttered some kind of weak reply. Ash reached for the final Poké Ball on his belt. He looked at Delphox.

"I guess this is what you really wanted, huh?" he said.

Delphox gave Ash a single, slow nod.

Ash tossed the ball. High in the air, Greninja emerged from it. He somersaulted through the air, landing in a ready stance in front of his opponent.

When Greninja saw who his opponent was, his eyes widened, and he pulled back a few inches.

Delphox crossed her arms, wand still alight and clutched firmly in her hand. She eyed Greninja levelly.

It took several seconds for Greninja's shock to wear off. He blinked repeatedly, as though he could not believe his eyes. After an extended moment of contemplation, he shook it off. He pulled himself up to his full height, standing opposite Delphox.

Serena was not sure how Greninja could come beyond it so quickly. She remained stunned. Delphox was more powerful than she ever could have dreamed. She was strong enough to easily finish Pikachu, at least when he had already been weakened. Maybe she would be able to stand up to Greninja. Maybe.

A staring match unfolded in the center of the battlefield. Save for the flickering flame at the tip of Delphox's wand, she and Greninja were both as still as statues, waiting for the other to move.

Ash rubbed underneath his nose.

"So, uh, are we gonna do this, or what?" he said.

Serena did not respond. She didn't know how. She wanted to ask Delphox, but she didn't know how to do that, either.

Delphox, however, made her intentions very clear. The flame at the tip of her wand roared to life, casting even more of the beach in flickering, golden light.

Then, Serena felt something that defied description. It was in both her head and her heart, like a voice that called without sound and spoke without words. It told her one singular, absolute truth.

 _Yes._

Serena's eyes widened. She blinked away the remnants of the tears. She raised her arm, extending her hand.

"Delphox, Fire Blast!"

"Aerial Ace!"

"Flamethrower!"

"Water Pulse!"

Without moving, Delphox let out a sharp, percussive cry, and ejected a Fire Blast from her mouth. By the time it reached Greninja, he was already gone. Both Serena and Delphox knew exactly where he was. In one fluid motion, Delphox unfurled her arms, spun around, and launched a Flamethrower from her wand. She met face-to-face with Greninja, who fired a Water Pulse from his hands, quelling the flames.

"Double Team!" called Ash.

"Mystical Fire! Hit the whole area!"

Greninja vanished in the blink of an eye and then reappeared as dozens of copies of himself, scattered all over the beach. He was on the ground, in trees, in the air, all around. Delphox raised her wand high above her head and waved it in a circle, creating a wreath of flame. This time, rather than shrinking, it expanded as it descended, forming a curtain of fire that radiated outward from where she stood. Each of Greninja's copies vanished on contact.

The real Greninja hovered high above, the only one not touched.

"Water Shuriken!"

"Flamethrower!"

Greninja fired the array of shuriken down from the sky. Delphox responded with a torrent of flame from her wand. Each shuriken fizzled against it, but over the course of a few seconds, Greninja pushed her flames all the way back to their source.

The handful of remaining shuriken struck Delphox directly as she tried to shield herself from them with her arms. She grimaced as she was hit.

"Aerial Ace!"

Greninja vanished. An instant later, he was behind Delphox. Delphox barely had time to turn around.

"Cut!"

"Psychic!"

Delphox pointed her wand at Greninja. She growled. Nothing happened. Instead, she was sent flying as Greninja landed a solid blow right on her side.

Delphox dug three of her limbs into the sand, halting her skid.

Ash shook his head.

"That's not gonna work," he said.

For just a moment, Serena wondered if Delphox had somehow already lost her tenuous grasp on her psychic abilities. But then, she remembered, and she groaned.

"Oh, right. Dark type," she said.

Delphox followed Greninja with her eyes as he leaped high into the air. He readied a Water Shuriken on each of his fingertips.

"Greninja, you know what to do!" said Ash.

Serena fell back to her classic defense against Water Shuriken.

"Hidden Power!"

Delphox raised her wand, but nothing came out of the end of it. For a moment she grimaced in frustration, but then, her eyes glowed deep indigo.

There was a rustling noise from all around. All of the palm trees in sight shook. A moment later, a dozen or more coconuts, all illuminated by Delphox's psychic aura, came flying toward the tip of her wand as if pulled by a magnet.

Greninja fired. So did Delphox. Their attacks met with a flurry of cracking and shattering sounds. The coconuts and the shuriken collided, and an incredible mess of coconut shell, milk, and shavings went scattering all over the battlefield. A strong scent of coconut greeted Serena's nose.

"Water Pulse!"

"Fire Blast!"

"Double Team!"

Greninja fired, then vanished. Delphox's Fire Blast fizzled in midair against the Water Pulse. She was already preparing her next move.

"Mystical Fire!"

Wand held high in the air, once again, Delphox summoned a wreath of flame. Just like last time, dozens of copies of Greninja were scattered all over the field, all in a ready stance, watching and waiting.

Delphox brought down the expanding curtain of flame.

"Water Shuriken, then Aerial Ace!"

Serena was not sure how Ash and Greninja did it. It was not the first time she had seen it, but she knew from attempting it with Sylveon that it was very, very hard. Greninja fired a Water Shuriken from all directions, each one of the copies firing its own. And then, they all charged at Delphox.

The Water shuriken cut a hole through the veil of fire. Each of Greninja's copies passed right through. They all struck Delphox at once.

Delphox was hit hard, but she was not fooled. Without command, she spun around. With a fierce cry, she unleashed a blistering Fire Blast from her mouth. Greninja had no time to react. He took it head-on, and he staggered backward.

When he regained his balance, he vanished again. Delphox spun around and saw him standing on his own side of the battlefield again, in front of Ash.

"I can't believe how much stronger Delphox got when she evolved!" said Ash. "It's amazing!"

It was, indeed, amazing. But Serena was not surprised. Not one bit.

Like trainer, like Pokémon, after all.

"I believe it," said Serena.

Ash's whole demeanor had changed. It was all about strength. The presence of a worthy opponent on the battlefield was all it took to make him change his tune. Five minutes ago, he had been waxing poetic about not wanting to hurt Pokémon. Now, Serena saw him almost visibly itching for more.

"You two are strong!" said Ash. "You're gonna have to do better to beat me and Greninja, though!"

Serena felt like a bubble inside her chest popped. She had no doubt that Ash was right. There was no way she and Delphox could win. Delphox was already tired. Greninja had a major type advantage, not to mention so much more experience. He and Ash hadn't even used their transformation yet. It was doubtful that they would need to.

So close, yet so far.

"So?" said Serena. "We're not giving up. If you want to win, you're going to have to earn it!"

"If you want us to earn it, you better be ready for our very best shot!" said Ash.

Greninja looked at Ash, then at Delphox. His eyes narrowed. He looked at the ground.

Ash held up his wrist. His Z-ring and the attached Waterium Z glinted in the fiery light from Delphox's wand.

"Ash…" said Serena.

"No holding back now, right?" said Ash. He looked so eager.

Serena held her breath for a moment.

"No," she said.

"Then we're gonna give it all we've got!" said Ash.

He placed his feet shoulder-width apart. He clenched his fists.

"Get ready!" he said.

Ash moved his arms in a great circle, then held his arms out in front of him, fists closed, crossing over each other. Then, he opened his fists, and with his open palms, he made a motion like that of the waves, first twice to one side, then once to the other.

 _"Hydro Vortex!"_

Nothing happened.

There was no flare of aura, no flashy movements nor giant vortex of water. Instead, Greninja simply stood still, head bowed. Ash stood there in the final form of his pose, holding it, looking like an idiot.

Delphox said something. Greninja looked up at her. He stared at her for a moment, then shook his head.

Serena's heart stood still.

"Greninja?" said Ash. He was still in his final pose, trying to keep his balance as he held it.

Greninja's shoulders slackened. He turned around and faced Ash.

The excitement drained from Ash's face. Once again, Greninja bowed his head. Ash let his arms fall to his sides.

"Greninja…" he said.

Delphox let her arms fall to her sides. The flame at the tip of her wand shrank, reducing to nothing more than a flicker of candlelight.

Greninja gave Ash a very long, wordless stare. Then, he turned around, and he gave the same to Delphox.

The silence dragged on. Delphox spoke again. Greninja said something quiet in reply. There was more silence.

And then, he was gone.

In the blink of an eye, Greninja vanished from the battlefield and reappeared on the roof of the lab. Up there, alone, he crossed his arms and sat, staring at the moon.

Delphox said something underneath her breath. Although she could barely hear it with her ears, Serena felt as though she somehow heard it with her entire body. She felt the single word and every last bit of weight it carried echo through her mind.

 _Why?_

Delphox said something else under breath, something unpleasant. She dropped her wand, letting it fall to the sand, seemingly disgusted by it. Then, she folded her arms and dropped to the ground, sitting alone in the sand. She hung her head.

Ash had his back turned, watching Greninja on the roof. Serena wasn't sure why, but her body began to carry her toward him. Without thinking at all, she put one foot in front of the other, again and again. She couldn't think. She couldn't feel. She could barely see.

Blind. She had been blind this whole time.

 _"Ash…"_

Serena's own voice surprised her. It was no surprise at all that Ash jumped at the sound of it. She had no idea how it got so waterlogged so quickly, or how she could possibly have so many tears left after everything.

Ash spun around and looked at her, obvious concern on his face.

"Serena?" he said.

Serena walked up to him. She stood right in front of him. She wanted to reach for him, but she could not will herself to do it. Instead, she wrapped her arms around herself. She did not even try to cover her face as she sobbed.

Ash's face turned from concern to sadness when Serena spoke again, through tears.

 _"Please… hold me…"_

Ash wrapped his arms around her. Loudly, messily, Serena sobbed into his shoulder.

 _"What have I done…"_

It all came crashing down. The idiocy of it all crushed her, at long last.

 _"I'm sorry…"_

She repeated it over and over again. She lost track of how many times. All the while, she felt Ash's hand on her back, smoothing over the fabric of her shirt, endlessly moving up and down.

She knew it would come to an end soon. Maybe forever.

She found the courage to pull away and look at him. She was certain she looked hideous. Ash just looked lost.

Before she could say anything, something came frantically buzzing up to her shoulder.

It was Cutiefly.

In the distance, a pair of headlights approached the lab. Serena's heart sank. It was Professor Kukui and Burnet. She had no doubt that Cutiefly had gone to find them after failing to get inside the lab.

This was it. Her time was up.

Serena bit her lip. Eyes full of pain, she looked longingly at Ash.

"I have to go," she said.

She kissed him. It was nothing, only a quick peck on the lips. They had time for nothing else.

Serena reached into her bag. She pulled out what was once Braixen's Poké Ball, now Delphox's. She looked at it, then at Delphox.

Delphox sat in the sand, staring at the ground, her head in her hands. Serena approached her.

"...Delphox?"

Delphox looked up. Serena knelt down beside her.

"I'm sorry. I've failed you. I wasn't the trainer you deserved."

Delphox stared at her.

"You've become so strong," said Serena. It was becoming harder to hold back the tears, yet again. "You did it all without me, all on your own. You're amazing, you know that?"

Serena reached toward Delphox's face with one trembling hand. Delphox eyed it suspiciously for a moment, but she did not resist when Serena ran it over her mane.

Serena tried to smile as she choked back tears. It was so hard. She pulled her hand away and wiped her eyes.

"I'm so proud of you," she said. "We've come so far together. But… I don't know what more I can do for you. I think you've outgrown me, maybe. And… if you want this to be the end of our journey together, I understand."

Delphox's mouth opened. Her eyes widened as she continued to stare at Serena.

"I know how much you care about Greninja," said Serena. "If you want to stay here, I understand. I know Ash will take great care of you, and you'll have lots of great adventures together. He's the best. And you are, too."

Delphox closed her mouth. She looked away. Serena followed her eyes. They landed on Greninja, on the roof.

Greninja was making no attempt to be his usual stoic self. He was staring right at them.

Serena held out the Poké Ball in her hand.

"So… if you want, you can keep this," she said. "That way, you can travel with Ash. And Lillie."

Once again, Serena tried to smile. It was bittersweet at best.

"I'll be okay. Pancham and Sylveon will be, too. They'll understand. We'll all be fine, eventually."

Delphox took hold of her wand, picking it up from the sand. Slowly, gracefully, she rose to her feet. She stood before Serena, almost eye-to-eye at her new height.

Delphox's gaze was as determined as ever.

Serena had no idea how to ask the question, but it had to be asked. She held the Poké Ball out toward Delphox in the open palm of her hand.

"So… what do you say?"

Delphox looked at the Poké Ball, then turned her head. For what felt to Serena like an eternity, Delphox stared at Greninja.

And then, she looked Serena in the eye.

Delphox raised her wand. Her eyes began to glow, that familiar deep indigo.

Serena held in a gasp as she felt the weight of the Poké Ball leave her hand.

Aglow, the Poké Ball hovered in the air between them. Serena's mouth hung open, dumbfounded as she watched it float. Delphox concentrated for a moment.

Then, there was a click.

The trigger on the ball depressed. It opened. There was a flash of light, and Delphox vanished inside.

And with one last push of psychic energy, the ball tossed itself into Serena's bag.

Tears were coming again, but this time, they were interrupted. The roar of an engine and the flash of headlights drowned out everything else.

Serena saw Ash running toward her, and Professor Kukui and Burnet climbing out of the car. Cutiefly chittered like mad.

"Hey, you two!" said Burnet. "What's going on? Cutiefly found us at the harbor and tried to get us to follow. It sounded urgent."

"That was some impressive speed, yeah!" said Kukui. "I've never seen Cutiefly get a move on like that! Woo!"

Burnet nudged Kukui in the side with her elbow. Between that, and noticing Serena's tear-stained face, Kukui immediately adopted a more serious demeanor.

Kukui's eyes examined the beach. All the kicked-up sand, thousands of coconut fragments, and the burned trail of glass were obvious signs of a struggle.

"What happened here, cousins?" he said.

Serena opened her mouth to speak, but all she did was shake her head. She looked at Ash.

"I have to go," she said.

For a moment, Ash was very still. Then, he sighed.

"Serena…"

"I love you," said Serena.

"I-"

Ash paused. Serena knew he would say no more.

"I know," she said.

Serena took one last look at him. Then, she left.


	13. Everything Under the Sun Is in Tune

Chapter Thirteen – Everything Under the Sun Is in Tune

Serena spent the night at the Pokémon Center on Route 1. Though she was not a registered trainer in Alola, courtesy of the battle-worn condition of her Pokémon, the center was legally obligated to give her a room. She was glad to have it all to herself.

She slept in fits and starts, moments of impossibly deep slumber interspersed with endless ages of lying awake, unable to silence her mind. The next day was much of the same. While she took a taxi to the airport, waited in the terminal, and boarded her horribly long flight back to Kalos, she drifted endlessly in and out of sleep.

Hours and hours passed on the plane without her moving or even thinking, utterly lost in some detached state of mind. When night fell over the ocean, she drifted off into a deathlike slumber, only to awake when she saw the sun again. When she opened her eyes, she found herself still in the air, over that endless, featureless expanse of blue.

Trying not to disturb her neighbors, Serena dug into her bag. She had long since lost track of everything she had. If anything was left behind at Kukui's lab, it was far too late now.

To her surprise, her spare Poké Ball was missing. Or rather, it was no longer a spare. It felt full. It had an occupant.

Serena eyed it with suspicion. Had Delphox worked some kind of magic with it? She certainly had not caught anything on her own.

She figured she would simply have to wait until they landed to find out what it was. She prayed it wasn't a Pyukumuku. But as she went to place the ball back in her bag, her finger slipped over the trigger, and the ball opened.

It was Cutiefly.

Stunned, Serena sat there with her mouth hanging open as Cutiefly gave her a literal peck on the cheek, then landed on her shoulder. There was a note tied to one of her feet.

Gently, Serena untied the delicate knot, then unfolded the note.

 _Serena,_

 _You were my first friend. Nothing can ever change that. You will always hold a special place in my heart, no matter what happens between us._

 _Part of choosing to love is choosing to forgive. I am not ready to forgive you yet, but I think I will be one day. I hope you can forgive yourself. If I know you at all, I know that is what will be hardest for you. It is certainly what would be hardest for me if I were in your position. We're very much alike, after all._

 _Time may not heal all wounds, but it heals many of them. Please, when you are ready, come back. Until then, I have sent Cutiefly to watch over you._

 _Your friend,_

 _-Lillie_

* * *

It was night when Serena arrived in Lumiose City. She considered getting in touch with Clemont and Bonnie, but it was already so late, and she did not feel capable of handling any real human interaction, anyway. Instead, she headed directly for the nearest hotel, keeping her head down the whole way. She stayed the night there.

She left early the next morning, right at sunrise. The walk home took the entire day. At first, the solitude was enjoyable, but as the day dragged on, Serena called out each of her Pokémon, taking turns walking and talking with them. Cutiefly was incredibly energetic, overjoyed to sample the nectar of Kalosian flowers. Things were mostly quiet with Delphox, though.

After what felt both like forever and like no time at all, Serena found herself in front of a familiar gate, right back where her journey began so long ago. She stopped, and she returned Delphox to her ball.

It was dusk. For a while, Serena simply stood at the end of the drive in silence. It was exactly the same as it was when she left. Nothing had changed. Not on the outside, anyway. Rhyhorn slept in his sand pit beneath the old yew tree in the front yard. Fletchling was nowhere to be found at the moment, presumably inside the house with her mother. Dim light came from the windows in the kitchen, and nowhere else. Vaniville Town was silent, save for the rustling of the leaves and the faint chirping of Pokémon in the distance. On the front porch, the swing swayed back and forth ever so slightly, nudged by the breeze.

Serena reached for the latch on the gate. She paused. It was still rusted over, after all this time. For years, her mother had complained about the creaking noise it made every time it opened and closed. Apparently, even with all her newfound time to herself, she never found the time to repair it.

Or maybe it was on purpose, Serena figured. The noise the gate made had always been useful for keeping track of who was coming and going. Maybe her mother had left it this way intentionally. Maybe it was in anticipation that one day, Serena would find herself in this exact position, and the gate would alert her mother to her presence before Serena was ready. Yet another underhanded way to gain the upper hand in the endless cycle of petty arguments.

Or it could have been that it simply didn't matter that much, and that her mother had far more important things to do.

Serena closed her eyes. She inhaled deeply, held her breath for a few seconds, then let it out slowly.

She opened her eyes, and she opened the latch. She pushed on the gate. It swung open, the familiar metallic groan disturbing the peace of yet another uneventful evening in Vaniville Town.

Serena stepped through the gate and closed it behind her, producing the sound again. She secured the latch, then stood and waited. Her mother had to have heard. Any second now, she would peer out the window, then burst through the door.

Seconds passed. Nothing happened. Not a single sound, nor any sign of movement.

She walked up the cobblestone path, from the gate to the front porch. She was not trying to be particularly quiet, but Rhyhorn gave no indication of noticing her as she passed. He was sound asleep, as usual.

The boards thumped as Serena climbed the front steps and crossed the porch, coming to a stop in front of the door. She wondered if she should knock, or perhaps ring the doorbell.

She decided instead to simply turn the handle.

The door was unlocked. With the same sweeping sound it always made, it opened. The foyer opened up before her. It had not changed one iota.

She closed the door behind her. She heard movement in the kitchen, the sound of a chair scraping against the floor, followed by hurried footsteps. They drew closer. Then, they stopped.

Grace entered the hall. She stood in the doorway to the kitchen. The surprise, and perhaps even mild fright, on her face from her unannounced visitor quickly faded. She closed her parted lips. The tightness in her brow loosened. She folded her hands in front of herself, letting them hang low.

A smile formed on her face. It was one that felt so familiar, too familiar. It was one that Serena had worn herself far too many times, the bittersweet kind of smile one makes when there was nothing to smile about.

Serena wanted to close her mouth, but she couldn't. It was like she wanted to say everything all at once, but all she managed was a shaky breath. She saw it clear as day now, like she never had before. She was truly her mother's daughter.

They gaze they shared said everything, more than Serena ever could have said with words alone. Serena's eyes lingered on her mother until she could no longer see, her eyes flooding with tears.

Her mother had no idea what had really happened. But she _knew._

Serena broke the silence with a loud sniffle, one so loud it startled even her. The jolt of surprise was all it took to open the floodgates one last time. There was no holding it back now.

An ugly, choked sob echoed through the still hall. Grace's hands parted. As if drawn to each other, Serena and Grace met in the middle of the hall, and Grace wrapped Serena up in a close embrace. Serena did what little she could do to return it as she sobbed into her mother's shoulder.

She _knew_. That was all that mattered.

Serena wept. She was not sure for how long. It felt like hours. It was only interrupted when she heard a sniffle that was not her own.

She looked up. There were tears in her mother's eyes, as well.

* * *

Ten years in the past, Serena held her father's hand as she skipped down the sidewalk. She was happy. It was a big day. It was the _biggest_ day. It was her first day of kindergarten. She was going to the big kid school now, and that meant she was a big kid, too.

She had so much to tell her dad on their walk home. So many things had happened that day. The teacher was nice. She had read a story to the class about a girl with golden hair and a family of Pangoro, and they had colored with colored pencils instead of those big baby crayons, and they even got to use scissors and glue to cut out the pictures they drew and paste them on a big sheet of paper the teacher hung on the wall.

And everyone was jealous of the heart-shaped sandwich in her lunch.

Her dad listened, and nodded along, and kept asking her what happened next. Eventually, Serena ran out of things to say. She had told him about the whole day already. She went quiet for a while. She was trying to remember something.

There was a big calendar on one of the walls in the classroom. There were lots of big words on it. She couldn't remember what they were. She hoped she would never have to spell them.

She asked her dad what day it was. It was Monday.

Serena thought as hard as she could. When was that other big day? There were so many big words, and so many numbers.

Her dad asked if she was thinking about when her mom was coming home. He always seemed to know what she was going to ask before she asked it. Serena looked up at him and nodded.

Her mom was coming home on Wednesday, her dad told her. That was two days from now.

Serena felt a surge of panic through her heart. How was she supposed to tell her mom all about today if she wasn't here? So many things had happened! How was she supposed to remember?

Her dad shook his head. He looked sad. He missed her, too. Serena saw it in his eyes, those big brown eyes.

* * *

Wednesday came. It took forever. School was at least a million times longer that day. She couldn't sit still in class. The teacher even talked to her about it. Serena decided she wouldn't tell her dad about that part.

She was so excited when she saw him standing out in front of the school to walk her home. He was excited, too.

But Serena was less excited when her dad told her that Mom wouldn't be home until late at night.

It was an outrage. Ten o'clock? That was after her bedtime! A lot after!

Her dad said it was only a few more hours. It was one of those dumb lies that grown-ups always told to kids, even though the kids never believed them. Ten o'clock was not going to be there before she knew it. It was going to be a really long time, and the hours in between then and now were going to pass slower than ever.

As the evening unfolded, Serena was proven right. The next several hours were so slow it was like time didn't even want to move. She became cranky as the evening dragged on. _No_ became her favorite word. First, she refused to eat her dinner. Then, she refused to take a bath. Both disagreements ended with her in tears.

Her dad got really quiet. He took a bottle with some nasty brown liquid in it out of one of the high cabinets, well out of Serena's reach. He poured some of it into a glass and drank from it.

It was half an hour past Serena's bedtime when he told her it was time for bed. His breath smelled weird. Serena refused again, just like with dinner and the bath, but her dad just shook his head, picked her up, and carried her to her room. Despite her protests, and her kicking and flailing, he said nothing.

He only spoke when he tucked her in. He said goodnight, and that if she left the bedroom, she would lose all her dolls for a week.

So, Serena stayed in her bed.

Time didn't move. The minutes lasted for hours. There was no clock in Serena's room. She had no idea what time it was, if it was close to ten or even past it. She flopped around on her bed so much that she was sure her dad could hear her downstairs. He never came upstairs to tell her to stop, though. He never made a sound.

The next thing Serena was aware of was waking up to a loud sound. Two loud sounds. They were coming from downstairs.

"I can't believe you're stuck on this!"

"I can't believe you didn't call!"

"Do you not see the giant Rhyhorn in our front yard? Do you have any idea what a hassle it was to get him through the airport?"

"Is it really that hard to bring a Poké Ball with you?"

"You know it's not good for keeping up his racing conditioning! Being in that thing leads to cramps. I can't afford that!"

"On the way back you can!"

"We have another race in three days!"

"Of course you do."

"You knew that already. I told you, twice. It's even on the calendar."

"Yeah, yeah…"

"What are you, sixteen?"

"Are you? Out until the middle of the night without the decency to call home and tell us what's going on! Missing our daughter's first week of school! For what?"

"For her future! We've been over this! We decided together it was worth it for me to try this! The money can secure her future!"

"Right now, she doesn't need money! She needs a mother!"

* * *

Autumn arrived. The leaves on the trees all turned red and orange and brown. They fell to the ground and covered everything. It made the walk home from school so much more fun. There were so many leaves to stomp! They made such a fun crunching noise!

It became their afternoon routine. Serena would walk home from school hand-in-hand with her dad, and he would listen while she told him all about the things she did that day. While she talked, she would try to step on as many of the fallen leaves as she could.

But as autumn went on, there were fewer and fewer leaves on both the trees and on the road. It became harder and harder to find good ones to stomp. Before long, the trees were all bare, and the Fletchling nests tucked between the branches could be seen. It was darker and darker all the time, like the sun was afraid to show its face. Clouds covered the sky for days on end.

Serena's mom never seemed to be home anymore. She was always away with Rhyhorn, either going to a race or coming home from one, only to turn around and leave again. She was on TV, sometimes. It was never for long, though. The races were always over in a couple of minutes at most. She never won, either.

Every time, Serena saw her dad go to that same high cabinet in the kitchen and pull out a bottle.

It was something about money. That was all Serena really understood. They always showed huge numbers on the TV next to the name of whoever won the race. Even when her mom almost won, the numbers next to her name weren't nearly as big.

One day, they were watching one of her mom's races, and her dad turned the TV off before it was over. When Serena asked him why, he just shook his head and left the room. He went out on the front porch and sat there on the swing for a really long time, all by himself.

He didn't talk much for the next day. Not until Serena's mom got home.

It had been a good day, Serena thought. Her mom actually got home before dinner! They all got to eat together as a family, for the first time in forever. Serena did most of the talking. She had so much to tell her mom about. It had been a big week at school. They were practicing their letters, and the teacher said her handwriting was the prettiest. She even got to be the line leader one day.

Everything was good, she thought. After dinner, she went into the living room and continued playing with her dolls. Her parents stayed in the kitchen, cleaning up together.

That was when everything changed.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Her mother's voice was so sharp that it made Serena look up, like she had been spoken to directly. The question wasn't directed at her, though.

Things became deathly quiet.

"Put that away!"

This time, her mother's voice was followed by the rumbling and rattling of hollow glass against wood. Serena knew what the sound was. She had heard it many times.

More silence. Her mother spoke again.

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

"Since when did you go for a drink immediately after dinner? Since when did you drink at all?"

"Don't know. It's been a few months. It just kind of happened."

"A few months? You mean the whole time Serena has been in school?"

"More or less."

" _That's_ what you're doing with your free time?"

"I don't drink during the day."

"Oh! What a relief! That way, at least no one in public will ever see that our daughter is being left at home alone with a drunk!"

"I don't get drunk. I only have one or two. It just helps calm the nerves."

"Calm the nerves? What do you have to be nervous about? Do you see what I'm putting myself through? Your only responsibility right now is to take care of Serena, and you respond to that by picking up _drinking?"_

"I'm doing everything around here right now."

"Yes. That was the agreement. We knew it would be like this for a while."

"It's harder than I thought it would be."

"Well, I certainly feel the same way knowing that my husband is drinking every evening while he's at home alone with my daughter. That _really_ puts my mind at ease. So thank you for that."

"It would put my mind at ease if we had a guaranteed payday in our future."

"Oh? Is that so?"

There were a few stomping footsteps. The sound of a cabinet door being thrown open. The rattling of several glass bottles.

Serena couldn't see either of her parents, but she could feel her mother's glare when she spoke again.

"Sure seems like you're concerned about that, what with your suddenly unlimited liquor budget."

"We've been eating nothing but rice and canned food for weeks. I got Serena's new raincoat secondhand."

"Good! Great! Glad to hear that you've been pouring money down the drain, literally! Can't feed or clothe our daughter, but at least you can _take the edge off_ in the evenings when you have to be around her."

"That's not my point."

"It may as well be. What point could you possibly have? You have no ground on which to stand! None!"

"I have plenty."

"Oh? Then tell me, _please._ I bet this will be enlightening."

"This isn't what I signed up for."

"What? Yes, it is! We agreed to this! Don't tell me your drunken brain has forgotten all the time we spent at that very table, going over how to make this work!"

"I haven't forgotten. I was skeptical then, but I agreed to it because I believed you."

"Believed me? Believed _what?"_

"I trusted you when you said this would work. That all you needed was one big win, and we'd be set."

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"No."

"Good. I didn't lie to you. What I said was true then, and it's still true now."

"We assumed you would get that one big win a lot quicker than this. You were quite adamant about that, as I recall. Or am I a mistaken, confused drunk?"

"Don't you dare question my abilities as a rider. We talked about this for years."

"I'm not questioning them. I think you're the one who should question them."

"Do you have any idea what I've been going through? Do you have the faintest clue what this has been like for me? Let's see _you_ handle having a camera and a microphone shoved in your face after you've traveled halfway across the continent to miss out on a money finish by five-hundredths of a second and all you can think about is your daughter back at home and what your failure means for her future!"

"What about the present, though?"

"What about it? It's hard. We knew it would be!"

"What about _Serena's_ present?"

"With her drunken father and absentee mother? Can't say I feel too positive about it!"

"I am not a drunk."

"Good. If that's the case, let's keep it that way. You won't mind if I dispose of these, then?"

There was a clinking noise, the sound of several bottles being grabbed at once. Serena's father groaned.

"Oh? Don't like that idea? Why don't we reevaluate whether or not you're a drunk, then?"

"Stop."

"Only when you get your life in order like a _man._ You're a _father!"_

"Please stop."

"Why? So you can ignore your problems some more? Avoid responsibility? Give up? Run away?"

"I didn't sign up for this."

"Yes you _did!"_

Serena jumped in fright as her mother punctuated her statement by slamming one of the bottles on the counter.

"I don't just mean being a stay-at-home dad. I mean our entire current situation."

"You agreed to this."

"I agreed to do this, temporarily, so we could secure Serena's financial future. I did not agree to do this so I could watch you continue to chase your dreams while I watch mine fall apart."

"Your dreams? Dreams of _what?_ Being some office drone for the rest of time?"

"Dreams of financial stability, and of being a functional family."

"You hated your job. Don't even try to pretend you didn't."

"I enjoyed it more than this."

"Do you seriously think you would have been happy if everything stayed the way it was?"

"No, but now that I've seen the other side, I know I would rather go back."

"I am _not_ giving this up."

"I know you won't."

"Then why are we even having this conversation?"

"Because neither one of us is happy, and we're not providing Serena with the best that we can, and you care more about proving yourself than you do about the welfare of our relationship and our family."

"How _dare_ you say that. How _dare_ you imply that I don't care! Do you see what I'm going through?! I'm breaking my back daily to make this happen! I'm doing everything in my power to provide us with the best future possible, no matter how hard it is today! Why can't you understand that this is bigger than what _you_ want?"

"I did not marry you to be told that your dreams are more important than mine."

"We _discussed_ this. We _agreed_ to this."

"It's time to discuss it again. This arrangement is killing us. I know you see that. You would never be this defensive unless you knew that what I'm saying is true."

"What do you expect me to do? Just quit? Give up? Leave my lifelong dreams on the track just because _you_ can't handle it?"

"I expect you to be willing to discuss it with me like a reasonable adult, and not to put your foot down and throw a tantrum like a child who doesn't get their way."

Serena heard the contents of a bottle loudly swishing around.

"You have _no_ grounds upon which to criticize my behavior."

"You have none upon which to criticize mine."

"That's ridiculous."

"So is what you're saying."

"You've lost your mind."

"I'm reasonably certain that _I'm_ not the one who has lost their mind."

"Are you calling me crazy?"

"I don't know about crazy, but other than in name, you bear no resemblance to the woman I married."

"I've _grown._ You've stayed _exactly_ the same."

"I have not, and you know it."

"Oh, of course! How could I forget? You've added a drinking habit. How wonderful."

"Your competitiveness has turned into something very different. You weren't like this when we met. You were more pleasant than this while fighting with other racers outside the track."

"I didn't have a daughter to take care of or a drunken husband back then, did I?"

"No, but I do know one thing that hasn't changed. You still can't admit it when you're wrong. You never could, and you still can't."

"That's because I'm not wrong."

"I'll let that statement speak for itself."

"Not clever enough to come up with your own rebuttal? Yet another thing that's never changed. You don't know how to fight. You never have."

"What's the point? You're not going to listen."

"Why should I?"

"Because I can't continue to live like this, and I'm dangerously close to leaving."

"Don't even start with that."

"I'm serious."

"Stop. Don't."

"I mean it, Grace."

"Have you lost your mind?"

"I've lost the right to control my own life."

"You are a husband and a father! The world isn't simply yours for the taking! We're not kids anymore!"

"The same goes for you."

"I'm not the one threatening to leave."

"You've already left."

"You signed up for this! I don't care what you say!"

"I signed up to be your husband, not your sidekick."

"You signed up for this, _literally,_ for better or for worse, until death do us part!"

"Grace, I love you, but that's not enough to fix this. Not unless you'll work with me."

"So, what are you going to do, then? Run away?"

"If that's what it will take to make you understand, then yes."

"You're a coward."

"You can call me a coward all you want, but at least I have the courage to admit when I'm wrong."

There was a bitter pause.

"Get out."

"Fine."

 _"Get out!"_

Transfixed, horrified, rooted to her spot on the living room floor, Serena watched her father walk briskly through the hall and out the front door. His footsteps were followed by a scream, and he shut the door behind him a moment before an empty bottle went flying toward it, shattering upon impact.

* * *

Serena found her dad asleep on the couch the next morning. She found him there the morning after that one, and the next one, and every morning that her mom was there for the next three weeks. Being with her parents was like walking on eggshells. The tension was so great that it felt like a bomb would go off any moment.

But mostly, nothing happened. There was just silence, and lots of the two of them ignoring each other, not even looking at each other when they passed each other in the hall. There was no more arguing. No more shattered bottles. No more bottles of any kind, in fact.

Her dad seemed determined to pretend that nothing was wrong. He was still there to walk her home from school every afternoon, still always eager to hear about everything that happened each day. Serena wanted to pretend that nothing was wrong, too, but it was hard. Her handwriting had gotten worse. The teacher had noticed. And there was one day when the teacher read the class a story about a mommy and a daddy who got their daughter a Pokémon to be her friend so she wouldn't be lonely, and Serena started to cry and the whole class laughed at her.

She didn't tell her dad about that.

And in the evenings, after dinner was over, her dad would just sit in his chair and stare at the TV forever, never moving, never saying anything. And when he tucked Serena into bed and gave her a kiss goodnight on the forehead, his breath smelled normal, but it was like he wasn't there at all.

And then, one morning, he wasn't there at all.

He never was again.

* * *

Autumn became winter, winter became spring, and spring became summer. School continued, but it was never the same. Walking home with her mom wasn't the same. She was never as interested in what Serena had done that day, and always more interested in how she was _doing._ Her questions were different. It was never _What happened next?_ It was _What did the teacher say?_

In the spring, when there were lots of great puddles to splash in on the walk home, her mom would never let her jump in them. Serena was sure her dad would have.

The school year ended, and her mom told her about something called _summer camp._ Summer camp, Serena learned, meant that she was going to be sent on an airplane to a place really far away called Kanto, where she would be staying with a bunch of other kids and an old man named Professor Oak. It was going to be like school, but all the time. It was going to be so much fun. She was going to make so many friends, and so many great memories. She was going to love it.

That's what Serena's mother told her, anyway.

It didn't start out very fun at all. Her mother dressed her in a cute little pink dress and a straw hat, took her to the airport in Lumiose City, walked her to the gate, hugged her, told her to be good, and left her there crying with a flight attendant. She was an _unaccompanied minor,_ and whatever that meant, Serena didn't like it at all.

Serena didn't like the plane, either. It was loud and uncomfortable, and the flight took forever. When the plane landed, another flight attendant escorted her through the airport to a group that was waiting for her - a young woman who was a _camp counselor,_ whatever that meant, and a bunch of kids she didn't know.

And they all got in a van together and drove to some place far outside the city, a place with a bunch of log cabins in the middle of the woods, a place in the middle of nowhere. A place called Pallet Town. Or the outskirts of it, whatever that meant.

She and all the other kids were organized into groups and then taken to their cabins where they would be spending the next two months. After being shown their beds, they had a chance to unpack. But Serena didn't unpack anything. She wanted to go home. She wanted to tell someone, but she never got the chance. Before she could talk to the counselor, they were all on their way down a path in the woods. There was so much to see, she was told.

Serena didn't see any of it. The woods were endless. The trees were taller than any she had ever seen. They stretched forever in every direction. It was mesmerizing. After a while, she wasn't even sure which way was up.

It was then that she realized she was all alone.

The trail was nowhere in sight. The chatter of all the other kids was distant, somewhere far off in another direction. Through the gently swaying limbs of the trees, she could just barely make out the shape of some faraway figure, her only tie to civilization.

She ran toward it. Something was wrong. Through the noise of all the fallen leaves and twigs cracking under her feet, Serena could just barely hear the other kids. They were getting quieter. Was she going the wrong way? She couldn't tell. She lost sight of the figure she was following. She stopped in her tracks. She looked all around. She panicked. She doubted the figure she saw had ever been there at all.

She called out to the others. She called for help. Somehow, even though she knew she was yelling, her voice sounded so quiet. It was so small, so meek in the vast, empty labyrinth of the endless forest, muted by the leaves, swept away by the wind like nothing more than dust.

It became quiet. So quiet. Dangerously quiet. Serena became frightened to move. She looked over her shoulder with every footstep, constantly afraid that the sounds of her own movements were covering the sounds of something else's.

Every direction looked the same. She tried to follow her footprints in the leaves on the forest floor, but it was no use. She had been going in circles. The more she tried to retrace her steps, the more of a mess it all became. She paced about, becoming more and more frantic by the second. The truth dawned on her.

She was lost.

Serena's breaths accelerated. Her palms went damp with sweat. She felt hot and cold at the same time, and like she was going to be sick. One moment, she felt faint. The next moment, she felt like running. She went back and forth between the two, unable to make up her mind.

When the trees began to close in around her, Serena's mind was made up for her. She broke into a blind sprint, running aimlessly ahead, unable to care where she was headed as long as it was not where she currently was.

It was no use, though. No matter how far she ran, or which direction she went, it all looked the same. All exactly the same, in every way. She cried for help again. It was no use. She could hear nothing but her own breaths and footsteps now. There was no one else around to hear her.

When she could run no more, Serena sat down on a fallen log and cried. She wondered what was going to happen to her. Would anyone ever find her? Did anyone even realize she was gone? Was she going to be in trouble when she got back to camp? _If_ she got back?

Then, she heard movement in a nearby bush, and for the very first time, she felt the fear of death.

She went silent. She froze. Was it only her imagination? Was it only the wind? Everything went quiet again.

And then, she screamed as a short, blue Pokémon hopped out of the bush.

It was round, and it stood on two legs. It had a large, flat tail, and a black spiral pattern on its white belly. It had two big, dewy eyes, and a tiny, sniveling mouth.

And it was going to eat her.

Serena pushed herself up from the fallen log so forcefully that she rolled over backward and fell off of it. She scrambled to her feet, saw that the Pokémon was hopping after her, and turned and ran.

The little thing was fast. Every time she looked back at it, it was right behind her. She couldn't escape. She had to fight it. But how?

Serena spotted a fallen branch up ahead. It looked like it was loose. It even still had a few dried leaves on it.

As she ran past it, she snatched it up from the ground. Then, she spun around and threw it.

She missed. The branch was too awkward to reliably throw. It landed short of her target. It bought her some precious time, though, as the Pokémon had to stop in its tracks and then go around it.

Serena ran even faster. There was a denser patch of woods up ahead. The whole area was covered by underbrush. Maybe she could hide in it and escape? It was her only shot.

She broke through a patch of brambles, leaving scratches all over her arms and legs. It was becoming even harder to see where she was going. She wasn't sure if the Pokémon was still behind her or not. There was no time to look. She had to keep going. She pushed herself even harder. There was a dense thicket just up ahead-

 _Whump._

Serena landed face-first on the ground. Pain shot through her leg. Her diaphragm contracted in an involuntary cry, but her lungs held no air for her to make a sound. It had all been knocked out of her by the fall.

She pushed herself up with her arms and looked back. She could not see her pursuer. What she did see, though, was blood.

It came from her knee. It throbbed with pain. She looked at her feet. They were ensnared in the tangled, bare roots of a giant old tree. Her knee had come down directly on top of a particularly thick one. It had been like a wedge between her leg and her kneecap, with the force of her whole body weight pushing on it.

It hurt to bend her leg. The feeling made her sick to her stomach. This was not some playground boo-boo that moms could fix with a kiss and a popsicle.

Serena turned herself over. She had to untangle herself. She had to find cover. She was done for otherwise.

Right side up, she sat up and pulled the tangled roots away from her feet. Then, pushing herself backward across the ground with the palms of her hands, she backed up until she could lean against the tree.

She looked at her wound. She had no idea what to do. It was a mess. It compelled her to grab it, to apply pressure to it, to do anything to stop it. Touching it was painful, though. It throbbed with every heartbeat.

Her heart throbbed, too. She was all alone.

As the immediate panic faded, a new one set in. She was stuck here. She couldn't walk.

She wanted to call for help, but she knew it was risky. That awful Pokémon would surely hear her. Maybe something even worse was out there. It seemed more likely than anyone from camp ever hearing her.

She sat in silence for a while. It gave her too much time to think. This was the part in all the stories where someone came to rescue whoever was lost, but there was no one coming for her. No one knew she was out here. No one cared. She was stranded.

Silently, or at least as close to silently as she could, Serena began to cry again. She began to get the idea that her story wasn't going to have a happy ending.

This was the end for her, wasn't it? She was going to die out here, wasn't she?

All because her mom made her go to stupid summer camp.

She gasped in fright when she heard a nearby noise. Shivering, she tried to keep silent. It was getting louder, drawing nearer…

She shrieked. The little blue Pokémon hopped out of the bushes. Serena curled into the fetal position, trying to shield herself, to get a little further away from it.

But it ignored her. It hopped away.

Then something else came out of the bushes.

It was a boy. His eyes turned toward her, those big brown eyes. He stopped in his tracks.

He smiled at her.

* * *

Ten years later, Serena looked up at the tears in her mother's eyes. There they stood, in the same hallway that had once been covered with shattered glass, in front of the same door which had still held a visible dent from that day, no matter how many times it had been painted over. There they stood, surrounded on all sides by the places where her parents' marriage had fallen apart, the walls which still held the echoes of the words of innumerable arguments, and the memories of times both good and bad, long gone.

"Mom?" Serena whispered.

Her mother did not reply. Instead, she wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Serena's next question was hardly a whisper, barely more than a breath.

"Why are you crying?"

Grace took a strained look up at the ceiling. She inhaled sharply through her nose. She swallowed, hard. She began to speak.

"Because..."

Grace trailed off. Serena just stared. She hadn't called to tell her mother she was coming home. She hadn't said a word until now. Somehow, her mother still understood everything.

"...because I'm sorry," said Grace.

Serena's eyes fell. She looked at the floor. Her next words simply fell out of her mouth without a thought.

"Me too."

"I did the best I could," said Grace. She wiped her eyes again. "I know you did, too."

Serena looked up at her mother again. Did she understand the double meaning of her own words? What was this about?

What _wasn't_ this about?

"It's part of life, you know?" said Grace. "Sometimes, you can't fix things, no matter how hard you try."

Serena thought for a while.

"Maybe," said Serena. "Sometimes... sometimes it only _looks_ like things can't be fixed, because you can't see the forest for the trees. Sometimes, it feels like you can't fix things because you got lost along the way, and you need someone to show you the way home again. That's part of life, too, I think."

Grace folded her arms tightly as though trying to comfort herself. It was such a familiar gesture, but it looked so strange to Serena from the outside. Grace drew her lips into a tight, strained, bittersweet smile, one meant to stave off another wave of tears for a few moments longer.

Serena could think of only one thing to say.

"I love you, mom."

"I love you, too."

* * *

The first few days back at home passed in the blink of an eye. Serena spent the majority of her time asleep, sleeping as though she had not slept in years. Her nights were dreamless, and her days were listless. Every time she opened her eyes, it felt like only minutes passed before the day was done and she was sound asleep again, only to open her eyes when it was well past sunrise.

Things were quiet. Her mother made no attempt to press her for details. They spent their evenings in silence, but in a way Serena had never experienced before. The silence was comfortable.

In the endless empty moments, Serena watched from a distance as her Pokémon adapted to their new home. Pancham spent his time alternating between harassing Rhyhorn and trying to look tough in front of him. When Cutiefly wasn't with Serena, she was either flying around with Fletchling or chatting with Sylveon. Sylveon split her time between comforting Serena and attempting to talk with Delphox.

Delphox kept quiet for the most part, exchanging only a few words with Sylveon here and there. Serena had no idea what to say to her. She had given Delphox a choice, a chance to go on the adventure she assumed Delphox had always wanted, a chance to be with Greninja in the same way she wanted to be with Ash. And yet, for reasons beyond Serena's imagination, Delphox had refused. Delphox had remained loyal to her despite having no incentive to do so. Serena had never felt less worthy.

Delphox spent much of her time beneath the old yew tree in the front yard. She and Rhyhorn seemed to be kindred spirits in their appreciation of silence. Delphox passed the time in meditation, occasionally levitating in moments of intense concentration. At night, when Serena looked out her bedroom window, she often saw Delphox wandering through the field by the light of her wand, gazing at the night sky. Sometimes, Sylveon joined her, animatedly pointing out shapes in the stars.

No one called. No one came looking for Serena. The only sign that the world had not stopped turning was the rising and setting of the sun, and the different stories on the news every day. For a few days, Serena checked her email inbox multiple times a day. Eventually, she stopped checking altogether. Aria never replied. And so, Serena kept to herself. She decided it was the right thing to do. It was her punishment, her penance, this self-imposed exile. It was the first step on a long journey to make things right again.

Days passed. Then, one morning, before dawn, Fletchling and Cutiefly slipped underneath the gap at the bottom of her bedroom door and pecked her awake. It was her traditional alarm clock.

When Serena opened her bedroom door, she saw a box sitting in front of it, with work gloves, coveralls, and a pair of boots.

She stared at it for a minute. Then, she shrugged, changed into them, and headed outside.

Days turned into weeks. The passage of time felt so odd. She had despised farm labor as a child, but now, it was something of a welcome distraction. It was something to focus on other than herself. Her days unfolded as endless expanses of monotonous routine, each one blending into the next. From moment to moment, almost nothing happened at all, yet time flew by.

She had lost track of the days when one afternoon, she came in from the fields to check the mailbox before heading inside, and she found a letter waiting for her.

It was from Ash.

Serena tucked it into her coveralls. She did not want her mother to see it. She wasn't sure she wanted to see it herself. It was strange, the way time and distance acted on the heart and the mind. Serena both felt as though she had spent all day every day thinking about what happened and what she had done, and yet she also felt as though she hadn't thought about Ash in weeks. Her heart skipped a beat upon seeing his name, at the thought of him taking the time and going to the effort to write to her, at the sensation of touching something that he had so recently touched.

Yet, she was not sure she wanted to open it.

She didn't. She stuffed it into the drawer in her nightstand, right next to the handkerchief, back in the same spot where it had resided for so many years.

The next night, and every night after that for the rest of the week, she pulled it out and looked at it for a while, but she never opened it.

Then, she got another.

Once again, Serena tucked it into her coveralls and snuck it inside. When she entered her room, she locked the door behind her, took out both letters, and sat down with them on her bed.

The handwriting on both envelopes was the same, Ash's familiar, untidy lettering. The return address on each was slightly different, two different Pokémon Centers on Melemele Island.

For some reason, one letter was too much for her to handle, but two letters made her ravenous for more. Before, she couldn't bear the thought of discovering what was inside that first envelope. Now, she absolutely had to know.

She ripped the envelope open. Inside it was a single, roughly-folded sheet of paper. It looked like it had been torn from a notebook. It was covered in Ash's handwriting. Breathless, she read.

 _Serena,_

 _I hope you're okay. I didn't know where to send this, so I hope your house works._

 _Things have been busy since you left. I stayed at the lab for another week, and then Lillie and I left together on our journey. Hau is with us too, kind of. Sometimes he's with us, and sometimes he isn't. He's a weird guy. Lillie says he's a lot like me._

 _Lillie was really upset when you left. You hurt her feelings a lot. She cried a lot for the first few days you were gone. Those days were weird. Greninja spent all his time alone, looking at the sea. Pikachu was sad. Everyone was. I know I was. I kind of wish I had followed you, but I know you didn't want me to._

 _I trust you when you say me being here is important, even if I don't know why. Lillie hasn't told me yet. I'm sure she will one day. She's been quiet since you left. It's really only when Hau is around that things are like they were when we were on the road with Clemont and Bonnie._

 _I miss you a lot. Everything was more fun with you. Lillie is nice, but it's not the same. She's a really bad navigator, too. I think we've made two full circles of this island without finding everything we're looking for. It really makes me miss looking over my shoulder and seeing you right behind me, always ready to give us our next direction._

 _I finished my first trial yesterday. I had to beat this big, mean Raticate deep in a mossy cave. It wasn't that hard, but the trial captain was impressed. He gave me another Z-crystal, Normalium Z, and he taught me how to do the pose to use it. I wish you could see it._

 _I wish you were here. Whatever it is I have to do here, I want to get it done as fast as I can. When I'm done here, I'm going to come back to Kalos. I'll find you again, no matter what. I will come back to you. I promise._

 _Love,_

 _-Ash_

Serena let her hands, and the letter they held, fall into her lap. She stared at the door. Her eyes slid out of focus. Her heart palpitated.

Ash thought about her. Ash missed her. Ash wrote to her. Ash wanted to see her again. Ash promised he would come back to her. Ash used a very particular word.

 _Love._

Serena's head flooded with questions. She set the first letter aside and ripped open the second, hoping for answers.

She did not find any. She found no answers in the second letter, nor the third, fourth, fifth, or any thereafter. It became her weekly ritual. Every Tuesday - it was always Tuesday - there was a new letter from Ash waiting for her in the mailbox. Serena figured he must always have sent them on Friday or Saturday. But every Tuesday, after a day in the fields, she tucked a new letter into her coveralls and carried it upstairs to her room.

She only read the letters at night. It was partially because she wanted to ensure she would be left alone, but it was mostly because she blushed like mad when she reached the bottom of the letter, and Ash always signed it the same way.

 _Love._

Weeks went by. Serena began to amass a small collection of letters. While she spent her days laboring away and trying to make sense of it all, Ash was spending his days taking Alola by storm. He quickly defeated Kahuna Hala and moved on to Akala Island. There were three trials there. By his fifth letter, he had passed all of them, too.

His handwriting never improved very much, always remaining just barely legible. He told stories of people and places Serena could only begin to imagine. One trial captain made him fish, another made him dance, and another - Serena would have loved to have seen it - made him cook. He mentioned Pokémon with such bizarre and unfamiliar names that she had to resort to looking up information for them online. In her many searches, Serena printed out a map of Alola's islands. She followed along with his journey, marking all the places he had been.

When his seventh letter arrived, Serena's heart nearly stopped. Through a wild turn of events, he had met Lillie's mother. He thought she was nice. He had also managed to meet a Pokémon from another dimension, a strange creature that looked like a veil draped over an invisible head. He battled it and sent it on its way back home. He thought it was cool.

He had no idea.

* * *

Summer faded, and autumn arrived. Every day was shorter than the last. Each morning, it was a little bit darker when Fletchling slipped under the door and pecked her awake. Each evening, the sun set a little bit earlier. Serena wasn't sure where all the time had gone.

Tuesday afternoon saw the arrival of Ash's tenth letter. It was different from all the others. Things had become much more serious. Lillie had been kidnapped. He and Hau were going to work with a guy who was supposed to be in an organization named Team Skull to free her.

Ash had no idea that the kidnapping had anything to do with Nebby. He had no idea that his mysterious accomplice was Lillie's brother. He was the clueless hero, going off to save the princess, as always.

Serena wasn't in the story. She never was.

The next morning, had Serena not seen the clock in the kitchen on her way outside, she would have sworn that Fletchling had woken her up in the middle of the night. It was pitch black, darker than usual. Somehow, it was still the same dreadfully early hour as always.

She shoved a piece of toast in her mouth and stepped outside. The air was cool and crisp. It tasted like fall. The sky was cloudless and clear.

And in startling detail, looming over the distant trees on the horizon, the moon was full and red.

Fletchling fluttered past her as she shut the door. As Serena's eyes adjusted to the darkness, a greater scene came into view. All of her Pokémon and her mother's were gathered in the field, gazing up at the moon. Pancham and Sylveon stood there, silhouetted by the dim red light. Delphox, as she did so often these days, levitated next to them, seated, meditating. Cutiefly fluttered overheard, chirping with excitement. She was joined by Fletchling. Even Rhyhorn had left his sand pit to watch with them.

All was calm. Making as little noise as possible, Serena hopped the fence and joined them in the field. When she arrived, she sat down with everyone else. Sylveon quivered with excitement. Serena rubbed her behind the ears, and her fur felt almost electric to the touch. Pancham could hardly sit still. Cutiefly buzzed and buzzed until finally coming to a rest on Serena's shoulder. Fletchling landed on Rhyhorn's back. As always, both Rhyhorn and Delphox remained stoic.

For a while, Serena just sat there, hands in the dirt, leaning back to gaze up at the moon. She had seen this once before, long ago, in what now felt like another life, another world. Clemont had caused a racket in the middle of the night and woke everyone up to see it, then unintentionally put everyone back to sleep by droning on and on about it.

A lunar eclipse. She could still hear Clemont's voice in her ears, as well as Bonnie's groan, and Ash's yawn, voices from a starry night long past, frozen in time. She never understood back then how lucky she was. The distance and the absence, and the color of the moon, and the taste of the night air all filled her with longing.

And so, to bridge that gap in time, to fill that empty space, she spoke. For a little while, she became Clemont, and the Pokémon all became Ash, and Bonnie, and even herself. Her lecture was much shorter than Clemont's, less accurate, and just as dull. But none of that mattered. For a few minutes, she wasn't there. She wasn't _then._ She was in that starlit valley, bleary-eyed, struggling to stay awake, listening to Ash yawn and Bonnie complain and Clemont ramble on and on about the moon. And for just a little while, the world seemed endless, her possibilities limitless, and her future exciting and bright.

For just a moment, she felt like her old self again.

The moment she had that thought, Cutiefly buzzed on her shoulder. Serena looked at her, and then Cutiefly fluttered her wings once again and took flight.

She touched Serena on the cheek, then rose high into the air. She seemed to fly directly at the moon, becoming smaller and smaller until she was surrounded by it. She flitted about, dancing in the moon's rust-red light.

And then, she shone like the sun, and she transformed.

And when she floated back down to the ground, all scarf and smiles, she touched Serena on the tip of her nose.

For the first time in longer than she could remember, Serena smiled.

The eclipse passed. The sun rose. Serena's tablet served as a makeshift Pokédex. Ribombee.

As the morning passed, Serena's day unfolded with all the same daily chores she had done for the last two months. She wasn't truly there. She was lost somewhere in her own mind, just as she had been every day for the last few months. She was totally, gloriously, utterly absent, living in the past, and in futures that never were.

And all that fell apart when she stepped out of the barn at midday for lunch and saw three figures walking toward her across the field. When she stopped, they waved.

For a moment, Serena was certain her eyes deceived her.

But they did not. She ran toward them as fast as her legs could carry her. And when she met them, she flung her arms around them, making no attempt to conceal her tears.

It was Clemont, Bonnie, and Korrina.

They were there. They came back for her. And for a while, on that glorious autumn afternoon, nothing else mattered. Everything under the sun was in tune, perfectly imperfect in its harmony.

Serena was not alone. She never would be again.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


End file.
